


Tell me every way you'd like to love me

by Princess_AzuIa



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Humor, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Languages in A:TLA, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), M/M, Minor Sokka/Suki, Minor Sokka/Yue, Mutual Pining, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Soulmates, We all know how the firenation would be lol, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, based off of a few language prompts, eventually, lol, no beta we die like jet, we all know who the character death is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_AzuIa/pseuds/Princess_AzuIa
Summary: Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then everything changed when the tower of Babel was built.Just kidding- this will be a typical canon rewrite of the Avatar: The Last Airbender story with soulmates, Zukka, and languages!Follow Sokka where he embarks on a journey around the world, following a strange monk who speaks in a dialect over 100 years old. Along the way, Sokka realises he has a soulmate, depicted by the black lettering that appears on his wrist out on his journey. The only problem is, he can't read the writing for the life of him.*Tower of Babel not included
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 202





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I love soulmates, and I LOVE languages, so I figured I'd try to work them together. This will be a canon rewrite; I'll be sure to name every chapter so if you want to skip one of your least favourite episodes you can lol. The first chapter is just a prologue to The Boy in the Iceberg. 
> 
> Quick disclaimer: 
> 
> Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. This will be written in Sokka's POV (but still third person? idk what that's called), and for easiness sake, I will be writing all character speech in English when understood by Sokka. Any Non-English words will be translated in the endnotes.
> 
> I’m a native English speaker who can speak very little Japanese, and I have done as much research as I can to avoid any stereotypes about bi/poly/multilingual conversation habits (You won't see any "Hola ¿Qué Pasa?" here lol). If you have any constructive criticism, I’d really appreciate it so that this story stays as far away from ‘offensive' as possible; I hope you all can enjoy it as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3
> 
> Another mini disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, everything belongs to the creators.

* * *

In the whole wide world, Sokka had never considered himself small. 

No, he’d always understood that he played an important role within the universe. Even from a young age, he’d understood this. While his sister played with her magic water, and his mother told him stories about the spirits and such, Sokka always knew who he was supposed to be. He was a protector; much like his father. Sokka would one day be a warrior, watching over his village and protecting his people. He technically already  _ was _ a warrior, but he’d be an even bigger warrior, eventually. 

Sokka also knew that one day, he might have a soulmate. His mother had told him very early on about the concept of a soulmate: someone bound to you spiritually, the type of person who would love you forever inside and out. Sokka had, of course, asked if he and his mom were soulmates, because he loved  _ her  _ that much, and Kya had laughed endearingly because he’d  _ almost  _ gotten it.

Soulmates were a little more complex than that, she’d explained. Her love for Sokka started on the day he was born and would continue until the end of time, and even after. Kya would always love him, even when he was a stubborn little penguin. 

A soulmate though was a different type of love. A soulmate, while bound, was someone you chose to love. Someone who’d grow on you over time, who you’d eventually fall in love with. All their flaws and experiences would be something Sokka would come to love over time. While Sokka had been born into the love from his mother, he and his soulmate would build that together.

Sokka had been a little disappointed at that; why did the spirits bind someone to him if he’d have to do all the work, anyway? It made little sense to him, but his mother had just giggled and explained that he’d understand it with time. 

“When you meet this person, Sokka,” Kya had said once, after a long night of storytelling. “They’ll be unforgettable. You won’t ever be able to stop thinking about them, and their name will appear on your wrist. The spirits are never wrong, and I'm sure you'll be happy with whoever they give you.” 

So no, Sokka didn’t consider himself small. He knew his purpose. He was a protector. 

And now, as he stands staring up at the black snow falling around him and his sister, Sokka realises it's time to play protector for real.

“I’m going to find mom,” Katara says worriedly, rushing past him towards their home. Sokka watches her go, turning back just as the first fireball hits the outer wall of their village, with a loud bang that rocks him to his core. 

Sokka doesn’t hesitate, running towards the source of the fireball, hoping to make it to the raiders before they reach the village. Other warriors rush past him, spears and clubs in hand, and Sokka stumbles over his boots, excitedly trying to get to the front lines. He’s almost there, at the edge of the village, when firm hands lift him by the armpits. 

“Sokka, what are you  _ doing? _ ” A familiar voice hisses in his ear. “You need to get inside,  _ now! _ ” Bato turns them around, hurriedly taking Sokka away from the battle.

Sokka struggles in his grip, desperate to get out and help. “Let me go,  _ akkaga _ _! _ ” He cries. He was so close; he can’t let everyone down by hiding away!

“This is not a game, you need to go find your mother and stay safe,” Bato argues, setting him down closer to his hut. “Please  _ uyuġuga _ _ ,  _ hide yourself!” 

Bato turns, sprinting back to where he’d dropped his club and continues into battle with a war cry. With an angry huff, Sokka rushes after him, refusing to cower away at a time like this. 

At the edge of the village, Sokka ducks behind a mound of snow, formed by a fireball crashing into the village walls. The air around him smells like smoke, and through the falling soot, Sokka realises they’re outnumbered. He quickly gets to work, packing up some snow into his gloves and looking around for some ice. 

A soldier is thrown suddenly into Sokka's hiding place, and Sokka ducks down out of view, accidentally crushing the half-made ice ball in his hands. After he hears the groan of defeat from the enemy, Sokka pops back up, chucking the misshapen clump of snow at his unconscious body and running to the battlefield. 

Before he can do anything, though, the Fire Nation soldiers drop their attacks and retreat, fleeing back to their giant metal ships. Sokka slows to a stop and watches, just as stunned as the rest of the warriors, as they leave just as quickly as they arrived. Sokka chucks a small snowball at the retreating forms, smirking to himself in triumph.

His triumph is short-lived.

“ _ Sokka! _ ” Bato barks, and Sokka is yanked suddenly by the elbow. “I told you to stay hidden. What would your father think if he found you out here…” Bato trails off, shaking his head at Sokka. Bato's hands shake from where they hold Sokka. 

Bato drags Sokka away from where the ships breached, the sound of creaking metal fading into their footsteps. Bato drags him further into the village where warriors check on the women and children, tending to wounds collected during the fighting. 

Sokka looks up at Bato. "We really got them, didn't we?" He asks, a small smile forming on his lips. "Did you see how quickly they turned around?"

Bato ignores him, his eyes darting around warily. “Wait here while I look for your father,” Bato says, and releases Sokka’s elbow, pointing to the igloo beside them. “Do  _ not  _ move from this place!” His tone of voice is stern, but Sokka can hear it in his voice. He’s relieved that nothing happened.

Bato disappears, and Sokka again feels unable to stay still. He was just so proud of how well he’d protected his village. He knew the warriors were capable, but surely they appreciated his help. With excitement running through his veins, Sokka takes after Bato. He needed to let his dad know how brave he’d been. 

After making it to his hut, Sokka realises something is very wrong. 

Katara is standing outside, sobbing quietly as she clutches something in her hands. When she notices Sokka, she throws her arms around him, wailing into his shoulder. 

“Katara, what happened?” He asks her, but her response is incoherent. A moment later, Bato steps outside, and when his eyes land on Sokka, they begin to well up.

“Oh, Sokka…” Bato chokes out. Sokka’s eyebrows furrow. What’s going on? 

“Sokka, I’m so sorry,” Bato continues, stepping closer to him. He crouches in the snow and rests a hand on his shoulder. “I’m  _ so  _ sorry.” 

“You’re scaring me,” Sokka admits, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes. He doesn’t know why everyone’s crying, where’s his dad? Where’s his mom?

Hakoda finally steps out from under the flap of their hut, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy, and Sokka lets his own tears slip. He still doesn’t know what’s going on, and he waits desperately for his mom to come outside.

“Sokka,” Hakoda starts and bends down on one knee. Sokka tries to turn as best as he can, with Katara still sobbing into his shoulder. “You did such a good job, Sokka.” 

“I did?” Sokka asks shyly. Why is everyone crying if he did such a good job? His mom had told him once about happy crying, which Sokka wasn’t sure he believed in since it never happened to him. Was that what this was? 

Hakoda smiles weakly at him. “You did,” He responds. The smile falls. “But, something happened. Something to- to mom.” 

Sokka can feel the dots connecting against his will. He shakes his head slowly at his father, and Hakoda cries more in response, pulling him and Katara in for a desperate hug.

“No,” Sokka whispers. “You’re lying.” Hakoda sobs and Sokka understands he’s not lying. He wishes he was lying. 

Sokka can’t help but think about how his mom never finished their story from last night. She’d told Sokka in the morning that he’d fallen asleep midway through the best one, and he’d have to wait until the following evening to hear the rest. He’d been looking forward to it all day. 

“I- I took her necklace,” Katara chokes out from beside him. “Will mom be okay with that?” 

Hakoda laughs dryly in response, which Sokka doesn’t understand because this isn’t funny. His mom is… She’s gone. 

Sokka doesn’t have to listen to know Hakoda is consoling Katara. Sokka knows he’s petting her hair and letting her know it’s going to be alright. Sokka doesn’t believe that though, because how could it be alright? His mom was gone. 

Sokka squirms, trying to escape the confines of his father's arms. His clothing suddenly feels too tight, too warm despite the cold air. Hakoda squeezes tighter though, and Sokka ceases his struggling, letting out a sob as he buries his face into the fabric of his father's Anorak. 

What else can he do? Where would he even go? 

For the first time, Sokka thinks,

He’s never felt so small.

* * *


	2. The Boy in The Iceberg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Sokka make a startling discovery when fishing: a boy frozen in an iceberg, alive and... speaking absolute nonsense?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again folks, and here is chapter 2!!! Technically chapter 1 bc last chapter was the prologue.... anyways. 
> 
> the_rosyfingered_moon is my rosetta stone for this piece lol, so please go and give their 'Languages in AtLA' fic a read because it's incredibly insightful, inspiring, and very well written, and because a lot of their information on languages will be used here! 
> 
> *IMPORTANT: 
> 
> Sokka is a bit of an asshole at the beginning of AtLA. Please keep in mind that I've translated this over to how he treats Aang at the beginning of my fic. I obviously won't make him blatantly or violently racist, but he may refer to Aang as a 'foreigner' instead of a friend, he also will be a little insensitive, similar to how he is in the show. I will NOT be using any racial slurs in this fic, it will be ignorance from Sokka's end to keep him in character. 
> 
> I can't say the same for other characters; Obviously, Azula and other fire nation baddies will be using the p-word (peasants lol). 
> 
> But seriously, no racial slurs and no wild implications, just regular ol' avatar rudeness.

_"Will you go penguin sledding with me?"_

* * *

“Watch and learn, Katara,” Sokka says confidently. “ _This_ is how you catch a fish.” 

Sokka can already taste it, licking his lips at the thought of the delicious flakey meat swimming just below the surface. Katara huffs and puffs behind him, likely getting frustrated with how many times He's missed the fish with his whalebone spear, but he ignores her for the sake of focus. After steadying himself and pulling back his spear for what he knows will be his best shot yet, Sokka's takes a deep breath. _Dinner is—_

Sokka splutters as he's suddenly drenched in water, the chill settling in through his anorak almost immediately.

“Katara!” Sokka yells as he spins around, water flying everywhere. “I almost had that one!” 

Katara rolls her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. “You weren’t even paying attention,” She retorts. “I already caught a fish before you ruined it!” 

“Sure I did,” Sokka replies with an eyeroll, shaking his sleeves out. “Why do you always have to play with your magic water at the worst times?”

“It’s not _magic water,_ Sokka, it’s-” 

“I _know_ what it is, Katara,” Sokka interrupts. “I don’t need another lecture about ‘how important waterbending is to our culture’. What I _do_ need is for you to learn how to un-waterbend; seriously, one day I’m going to freeze out here because of you.” 

Katara scoffs, grumbling about how boneheaded he is as Sokka turns back around. He picks up his spear, getting ready to try for the fourth time that afternoon when Katara gasps behind him. 

“Sokka, look out!” She exclaims as their umiak lurches forward suddenly, pulled by a powerful current.

“Hold on!” Sokka shouts back, scrambling as he jabs his spear into the water, using it as a makeshift oar. He can hear Katara shouting directions at him; her voice drowned out by the rush of the water around them. As each turn gets tighter and tighter, Sokka curses Katara for getting him wet; his gloves have no grip on the spear handle, and they're getting dangerously close to losing it. Chunks of ice float closer to them, the current forcing him to focus his efforts on narrowly avoiding a collision. 

Sokka gasps as the spear finally slips out of his hands, crushed between two chunks of ice. A second later, their boat suffers the same fate, and Sokka jumps from the tiny vessel. Katara jumps as well, landing beside him on a tiny shelf of ice, clinging to the edge to avoid falling into the depths below. Sokka breathes heavily, feeling relieved that they didn't get thrown into the ocean.

Apparently, Katara doesn't share that relief, muttering, “You call that left,” under her breath as she dusts off her jacket.

Sokka furrows his brow, whipping his head around to face her. “Oh, I see. So the whole time _I_ was trying to get us to safety, you were giving me directions?" He asks sarcastically. "You didn't try to, oh, I don't know, _waterbend_ us to safety?” He folds his arms, scoffing at her. 

“Don't try to turn this on me!" Katara argues, mirroring his glare. “You’re the one who spent over an hour chasing after some fish! We could've been back home ages ago if you'd have just listened to me when I caught one!” 

“You expect me to think you caught anything? You couldn't even keep us afloat!” Sokka retorts, throwing his arms up exasperatedly. “Leave it to a girl to mess something like this up.” 

Katara inhales sharply. "You are the most sexist, immature, _nut-brained…!_ I’m embarrassed to be related to you!” She shouts. Sokka rolls his eyes. It's not the first time he's received this lecture, and it certainly won't be the last. A loud _crack_ echoes throughout the air suddenly, and Sokka tunes his attention to the iceberg towering over them. 

“Ever since mom died, _I’ve_ been doing all the work around camp, while _you’ve_ been off playing soldier!” Katara continues. Sokka's eyes widen as another _crack_ sounds, and this time, he sees the iceberg tremble a little. 

“Uh, Katara?” He interrupts nervously, biting his lip as the surrounding water sloshes and rises with her anger. The more his sister gets worked up, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and Sokka doesn’t have a plan for what to do if the iceberg explodes. 

Katara ignores him. “I even wash all the clothes!" She exclaims, the iceberg shifting dangerously with her words. "Do you even know how bad your sweaty socks smell? Let me tell you; _not pleasant!_ ” 

“Katara, settle down-!” 

“No!” Katara shouts, a wave of water rocking their ice chunk. “I’m _done_ helping you, from now on you’re on your _own_!” 

Katara's anger climaxes and the iceberg suddenly splits with a deafening crack. Katara gasps, spinning around just in time to see ice chunks plunge into the water, sending a huge wave their way. Sokka leaps into action, reaching out to cover his sister with his body as the effects of her actions play out. With one hand he grips the edge of their small ice raft, the other clinging to Katara’s coat. Wave after wave from the waterbending display send them surfing into open water and Sokka grits his teeth, waiting for the worst to be over.

Finally, the waves calm, and their ice raft settles into open water. With immediate danger out of the way, Sokka scowls as he releases his sister. 

“Congratulations, Katara,” He says with a scoff. “You’ve gone from weird to all around freaky.” 

“I did that?” Katara whispers to herself, and Sokka rolls his eyes at the awestruck tone she uses. Not a great time to be impressed, considering they have no way to get home now. Sokka still has his club strapped to his back, which they could use as a makeshift paddle. Of course, Sokka's not considering how long that would take, and any dangerous predators that might spot them on the way. _Maybe Katara could waterbend us home._

Katara gasps suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. “Sokka, look!” She exclaims, pointing into the water below their chunk of ice. Sokka peers over the edge, brow furrowing at the glowing blue light, barely visible. Sokka frowns, stepping towards his sister as the glow begins to grow bigger and brighter. 

“Katara, get away from—" A loud rumble interrupts him, and a moment later something erupts from under the water, sending them flying once more. Sokka loses his balance, falling flat on his back as the waves carry their ice raft further out. The rumbling sound from before settles as the waters calm, and Sokka sits up for the second time to see what the hell just popped out of the ocean.

"Whoa," Katara whispers from behind him, and Sokka can't help but agree. Whatever it is, it's very bright and very round; floating ominously before them. "What _is_ that?" 

Sokka shakes his head. "Don't even think about it," he warns, sensing the curiosity in his sister's voice. "We have no way to defend ourselves, and we don't know what that is." He feels a slight pressure on his back and turns to see Katara darting away from him, hopping over chunks of ice with Sokka's club in her hands.

“Hey—! Bring that back!” Sokka yells as he hops after her. "I said, _no_!" Katara ignores him, beating him to the ocean phenomenon.

Sokka is so distracted by Katara and the _thing_ , he slips at the last jump, almost missing the icy platform completely. While he manages to save his upper body, his legs plunge into the icy ocean, eliciting a totally manly yelp as the cold sets in immediately. His anorak and gloves have yet to dry completely, and it's too icy to drag himself up. 

“K-Katara!” Sokka shouts, his teeth chattering as he glares at her. “H-help m-m-me!” 

“There’s someone inside!” Katara responds, oblivious to Sokka’s predicament. 

Sokka slips a little, inhaling sharply as he wills his legs to keep moving. It's getting harder though, the cold freezing his muscles. If only he had some way to pull himself up, like a sharp object or—

Katara slams something against the glowing ball of ice, and Sokka looks up to see her banging his club against the side of the- whatever it is. _What is she doing!?_ Sokka's fingers are so numb he's not really sure what's holding him up at this point, and his _waterbending sister_ is using his only means of escape to attack an inanimate object that exploded from under the ocean. _If we survive this, I am never taking her fishing again. I don't care what Gran-Gran says._

Finally, Katara breaks through the ice and is blown backwards by a sudden blast of air. Sokka's club comes skidding to a halt in front of him, and he uses the last of his strength to dig it into the ice and pull himself up. Once safe from the possibility of drowning (yet still in danger of freezing to death) Sokka crawls over to Katara. He holds his club out toward the ice ball as it begins to shake, more air exploding from various cracks and pockets formed from Katara's tactic. 

“Katara, stay close,” Sokka hisses. Finally, the ice shatters completely, and a bolt of blue light shoots up into the sky. Sokka feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up—scratch that, he feels electrified. A low hum sounds throughout the air, and Sokka can't describe it, but whatever was inside the ice feels _ancient,_ lighting up his nerves and chilling him to the bone (that last part might just be the hypothermia). 

Something moves from inside, and Sokka readies himself, shakily pointing the club at whatever might be inside. His legs are still a little numb, screaming at him from the cold, but he can do it. Sokka is a protector, and he'll die protecting his sister. There's more movement now, and as two hands appear Sokka takes a deep breath, watching, ready to strike as a—

Sokka blinks. _As a bald child pulls himself out?_ That can't be right. 

Sokka keeps his guard up, hardening his expression and holding his club as confidently as he can as the blue light fades away. The boy's eyes glow bright and white, staring right at Sokka and his sister. That same ancient feeling from before penetrates his soul, leaving Sokka stunned—too stunned to notice when the glow fades too, and the boy collapses.

Before Sokka can stop her, Katara is rushing forward to catch the child. 

“Katara, wait-!” He hisses, snapping back to reality. Sokka rushes after her, his club still aimed at the figure now laying in Katara's arms. This close, he can see the child wears loose-fitting pants tucked into thin boots, and a strange flowy shirt. The electrifying feeling in the air is gone, and so is Sokka's fear, for the most part. While he's still ready to attack at the slightest of movements, Sokka realises it really is just a kid. A kid that really shouldn't have survived out here wearing such loose clothes. 

Suddenly the child stirs, and Sokka jumps back into an offensive position. He’s about to tell Katara to back away when the child opens his eyes, blinking and looking around. After a beat, the boy’s eyes land on Katara and he says—

Something… completely incomprehensible? 

Sokka blinks, eyebrows furrowing slightly. Surely the boy hit his head after his fall.

“Hey,” Katara whispers. “Are you okay?” 

The boy’s eyes widen slightly as he listens, responding in the same way he did before; nonsensical and strange. In Sokka’s entire life, he’s never heard anyone talk like this unless they'd been seriously injured, and even then they just spoke a jumbled version of something you could understand. This was... alien. 

Sokka pokes the child with the end of his club, getting his attention. “Did you hit your head or something?” He asks, and Katara shoots him a look. 

“Sokka, don’t be rude,” She says, turning back to the boy. He looks up at her, eyes wide as she points to herself. “Katara.” 

The boy blinks a few times before pointing to himself. "Aang." 

Katara turns back to Sokka with a smirk. “See? He just doesn’t speak our language." She waves a hand at Sokka's glare. "You’re such an idiot.” 

“Hey, can you really call me an idiot for thinking he was concussed?” Sokka defends. “Really Katara, can _you_ tell me what language he was speaking?” 

Aang looks between the two of them before pointing hesitantly at Sokka. “Idiot?” 

Sokka gasps. “What? No! Don’t listen to her!” He points at himself with both hands, speaking slowly. “Me: _Sokka_.” 

Katara swats at him. “You’re so insensitive!” 

“Sokka,” The boy responds, sounding it out as slowly as Sokka said it. He smiles, saying something else in the same language as before; something they obviously can't understand. 

“Great, we’ve all learned each other’s names,” Sokka starts, turning back to Katara. “Now can we figure out who this kid is, Katara? He could be a Fire Nation spy for all we know!” 

Katara rolls her eyes. “I’m sure he is, Sokka. Just look at all that Fire Nation evil-ness about him.” She points at the child who looks up at Sokka innocently. Sokka rolls his eyes, opening his mouth to argue that 'it's always someone you wouldn't expect' when the boy shifts, floating out of Katara's arms. Sokka leaps back, aiming his club again.

"How did he do that!?" He hisses. Katara stands up as well, pushing Sokka's club out of the way dismissively. The boy turns around a few times, speaking some more when a growl sounds from where he climbed out of. Sokka watches the boy's face light up in a grin, leaping with incredible agility into the ice ball again, saying one word that Sokka actually understands.

_Father_. 

With a frown, Sokka lowers his club. “Did he just say 'father'?" He looks at the ice wall the boy leapt over. "And did he just clear that entire wall in one jump?!" 

Katara brushes him off, jogging after the boy around the side of the ice wall. "Come on!" 

After finding another way over the wall (with a failed attempt from Sokka who tried to climb it) they see the boy again, standing next to one of the biggest furry monsters Sokka's ever seen before.

“What is that?” Katara asks in awe, and Sokka shields her with his body. 

“Get back, Katara. It looks dangerous,” He warns. Katara shoves past him, shooting him a glare as she approaches the boy and the beast. 

"Who is this?" She asks, pointing up at the beast. The boy—Aang—giggles, pointing at the beast and saying that word again. Father. 

“ _Aapa _!” He chimes. _Surely he’s kidding._

“Right," Sokka deadpans. "And this is my grandmother, Katara." Katara swats at his arm again before turning back to the boy. 

"My brother's just an idiot," She says sweetly. "Is this big guy your friend?" 

Aang points to Sokka. “Sokka,” he says, just as slowly as before. He points at Katara. “Katara.” Then points at himself. “Aang.” 

Finally, he points to the beast. “Appa!” 

“Sokka, I think that’s its name!” Katara exclaims, turning to give him an excited grin. Sokka just rolls his eyes because it's still a _monster_ , now it's just a monster with a name. 

Aang nods excitedly at Katara's realisation, and the beast grumbles, rearing its head suddenly as it begins to inhale deeply. Aang leaps out of the way, tugging Katara with him right as the beast sneezes; an ungodly amount of snot landing on Sokka, who didn't get out of the way in time. 

“ _Eugh!_ ” Sokka exclaims, trying to shake his anorak free of the disgusting goo. He faceplants into the snow, trying to wipe off fluids he never thought he’d encounter in his entire life. Aang laughs gleefully, before floating up to sit on the beast's head, between its massive horns. He says something to them, waving them up. 

“Sokka, I think he wants us to sit with him,” Katara says, using that same stupid awestruck tone. 

“Seriously, Katara, I don’t like how trusting you are about this,” Sokka remarks as Katara begins climbing the giant beast. “If he told you to board a Fire Navy ship, would you go with him?” 

“Oh lighten up, Sokka,” Katara responds dismissively. After settling herself in the giant saddle Sokka didn’t notice before, she waves at him. “Come up here!” 

Aang says something else to them, before flapping his arms like a bird and then pointing to Appa. 

With a sigh, Sokka reluctantly walks over to the furry beast. “Fine. I’ll climb him,” He mutters. “Stupid weird kid, stupid beast…” 

Once seated, Aang says a few more words before shouting, “Yip Yip!” to his giant pet. Appa grumbles loudly, and to Sokka’s surprise, actually stands up and takes a flying leap. 

His surprise is very quickly replaced with disappointment, as the beast lands in the water, swimming instead of flying as Sokka had hoped. Maybe flapping arms meant something else to Aang? Aang seems just as disappointed as Sokka, though, turning back to his passengers with an apologetic look. 

“Hey, maybe Aang could take us home!” Katara blurts out. “We lost our umiak after all.” 

“Well, you can be the one to point him in the right direction then,” Sokka replies. “I think I’ve had enough nonsense for one day.”

* * *

Sokka had to hand it to his little sister; despite her naivete, she and Aang were able to navigate them all back to their village successfully. Obviously, this was because she’d learned from Sokka, who frequently navigated them home, but he was impressed nonetheless. She learned quickly and could obviously communicate well enough with the foreigner to navigate correctly. 

On the way home, they’d figured out Aang was an Airbender, based on the many tricks he could do with the air, and he was apparently twelve years old. They weren't able to figure much of anything else out, for obvious reasons, but Aang seemed to be a quick learner and could say one or two words in their language now. Katara had tricked him into called Sokka 'idiot' instead of his real name, much to Sokka's annoyance. Sokka had tried to teach Aang the same thing. Though either Aang actually understood the word 'idiot' or just favoured Katara's teaching, Sokka wasn't sure, because Aang wouldn't call Katara anything other than her name. Perhaps it was both.

Once they were safely back in their village, Katara eagerly started showing Aang around, talking excitedly at him about everything they passed, allowing Aang to learn people's names and whatnot. 

Sokka was left to discuss the severity of the situation with his Gran-Gran, still not quite sure what to make of the foreigner.

“There hasn’t been a sighting of the Air Nomads for over a hundred years,” Gran-Gran says to Sokka. “And to see one here? So young? He’s impossible.” 

“I know Gran-Gran, I’m a little suspicious as well,” Sokka agrees, eyeing the bald child warily from a distance. “I personally think he’s a Fire Nation spy.” At that moment, Aang falls backwards into the snow, the children of the tribe all giggling at him. 

“Now, Sokka,” Gran-Gran replies, chuckling lightly at the Airbender's clumsiness. “There’s no need for those kinds of accusations. He’s definitely an anomaly, but I don't think we need to be wary of him just yet.” 

“Not you too, Gran-Gran,” Sokka whines, turning to his grandmother with a pout. “Katara won’t believe me either.” 

Gran-Gran pats his arm, her eyes crinkling as she smiles at him. “Then it’s a good thing you’re the village defender then, eh? Someone's got to be paranoid.” 

“Yeah, yeah," Sokka replies, a little proud of himself until he realises, "Hey, I'm not paranoid!" 

Katara comes running over at that moment, Aang trotting behind her. “Sokka! Did you know Aang can fly?” She says excitedly, gesturing to the boy behind her. Aang smiles brightly at him, holding a staff Sokka hadn't seen before.

Sokka frowns, eyes narrowing. “Uh, last time I checked Katara, humans can’t fly,” He turns to his sister. “Besides, the last thing he told us could ‘fly’ ended up swimming us back to the village.” Sokka approaches the boy and snatches his staff out of his hands. “And hey- what even is this, a weapon of some sorts? Pretty suspicious if you ask me.” 

Aang airbends the staff back into his hands, muttering a few words to Sokka before gesturing to the sky. Aang unfolds the staff with a swift movement, revealing orange flaps that had been carefully tucked away. 

“What are those supposed to-” Sokka starts, but he’s cut off as Aang suddenly propels himself into the sky. “...do..." Sokka watches Aang fly around in the air, using the staff as some sort of glider, and despite himself, he feels impressed, for once.

“Wow,” Katara whispers, staring up at Aang in awe. “Isn’t he amazing?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes. “Slow down Katara; we still know nothing about him.” 

Katara swats at his arm. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

“I’m just saying,” Sokka says, putting his hands up defensively. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You can daydream about your boyfriend once we have some more information on him.” 

This time, Katara punches him. “Ow! Why would you do that?!” Sokka exclaims. 

“Now, now,” Gran-Gran warns, resting a hand on each of them. “We’ll figure this out together. For now, Katara, you have some chores to do, and beating up your brother isn’t one of them.” 

Katara sighs. “Yes, Gran-Gran," she mutters, shuffling off with their grandmother. 

Aang crash lands at that moment, and Sokka finds himself laughing before he realises what the Airbender actually crashed into.

"Hey- My watchtower!" 

* * *

It isn’t long before Sokka loses sight of both Katara and Aang. She didn't mention where they were going and had also left the boy's giant bison behind, so Sokka assumed they weren't going very far; considering the beast seemed to enjoy staying within a few yards of the boy. It certainly didn't ease his anxieties and distrust over the Airbender's true motives though, and he found himself constantly checking the horizon to see whether or not they were on their way back.

Sokka sighs deeply, and the beast nudges him with its giant furry head. “Sorry, am I in your way?" He asks. The beast grumbles in response and Sokka sighs again. "And now I'm talking to a monster." He glances over at the bison, folding his arms. "So how long were you guys in that iceberg for?" 

The beast grumbles again, and Sokka nods. “That long, huh." He kicks the snow beneath his feet a little. "Do you even speak Water Tribe?" Another grumble. "Yeah. It'd be nice if you did. Even nicer if your owner did." The beast growls a little and Sokka holds up his hands. "My bad, didn't mean to offend your friend." 

Another beat of silence passes, and Sokka inspects the beast. It really is massive; Sokka could probably sit inside of its mouth comfortably. "You sure have a lot of meat on you," He says idly. "I'm sure you could feed the entire village at least ten times over." 

Appa growls again, and Sokka pats his head lightly. "Hey, I'm just kidding." After a satisfied grumble, Sokka leans back against Appa's furry leg, removing his gloves to pet him for real. After running his hands through the fur a few times, Sokka has to admit the beast is actually rather soft. With one hand brushing through the beast's fur, Sokka idly glances at his other hand, where his bare wrist glares up at him.

"Hey pops," Sokka starts, turning his wrist over and over. "Do you believe in spirits?" 

Appa grumbles lowly, and Sokka nods. "I don't know if I do either." He puts his wrist down, using both hands to pet the bison now. "I used to, I think. Mainly 'cause of my mom, though, and she isn't really around anymore." The bison grumbles again.

"I really hope you and Aang aren't Fire Nation," Sokka adds. "Otherwise, I'd have to kill you both," Appa nudges him roughly, almost knocking him off balance. "Okay, okay. I guess I could keep you both as prisoners." Appa makes another content sound, and Sokka goes back to petting. It felt strange to be talking to the beast this way, but in truth, Sokka couldn't ever talk like this to anyone anymore, and he needed to let it out sometime. 

After Sokka's mother died, he found a lot of his life changed. For one thing, he hated spirits. Once, his mother had told him that the spirits played a big part in the world. Sokka had asked if they protected humans, and his mom had clarified that they simply guided them. Why they hadn’t guided the Fire Nation away from his village was beyond Sokka. After that day, Sokka was no longer enamoured by the idea of soulmates and spirits, instead finding himself a little bitter towards them. Thinking of the spirits, seeing the celestial lights, even seeing Appa and Aang; it all felt a little too mystical for his liking. It reminded him too much of his mom. 

Soulmarks were the same. 

Sokka had once told his mom that she'd be the first to know he had a soulmate, and, well, when she died, he forgot all about that. It wasn't until someone else in the village got a soulmark did he remember them, and quickly decided he didn't care about them anymore. Still, though, every time Sokka met someone new (which was incredibly rare) he checked his wrists just in case. They were always blank.

A sudden blinding light in the sky tears Sokka from his thoughts, followed by an echoing boom across the southern sky. He whips his head around to see a distinct Fire Nation flare over the horizon, illuminating the afternoon sky around them. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Sokka mutters under his breath. Appa grumbles beside him, clearly unhappy that the petting has stopped. “Not now. I think your owner just brought us trouble.” 

Sokka races toward his hut to grab his weapons. 

“Sokka, what’s going on?” A villager asks as he runs past them. 

“I don’t know! Get everyone to safety, now!” Sokka shouts back. He practically flies into his home, quickly grabbing his club and his boomerang before turning back to gather the young soldiers for battle. Gran-Gran appears in front of him, having entered the hut shortly after him.

“Sokka, where are Katara and that boy?” She asks, eyes darting around the empty room.

“I think they set off the flare,” Sokka replies curtly as he quickly rushes past her. "Come on, follow me." 

After arriving at the edge of their tiny village, Sokka can see two figures running towards them on the horizon. The rest of the villagers have gathered behind Sokka, and they wait with him as the figures approach. Of course, it’s Aang and Katara. 

Katara is the first to speak once they approach. “Sokka! I’m so sorry-” 

“You signalled the Fire Navy with that flare!” Sokka interrupts, directing his speech at Aang. "You've put us all in danger!" 

“Aang didn’t _do_ anything, Sokka," Katara says, stepping in front of Aang. "It was an accident!” 

“Where were you both?” Gran-Gran asks. "How did you set off the flare?" Sokka folds his arms, glaring at Katara as a sheepish blush climbs over her cheeks.

"We uh, we went to an abandoned ship." She holds her hands up. "But we didn't—!” 

“Katara, you know better,” Gran-Gran interrupts, shaking her head. “We could all be in danger because of this; you know that.” Katara hands her head in shame, and Sokka scowls. 

Before he can berate her, the Airbender steps forward, putting one hand on Katara's shoulder. Sokka's about to berate him too, when he points to her. The boy shakes his head no and then points to himself as he nods. Sokka might have been impressed with the communication skills if the boy hadn't just admitted to being the one to signal the Fire Nation.

“I knew it; I knew he was a spy!” He exclaims. He grabs Katara by the arm. “Katara, get away from the enemy.” 

Katara yanks herself free, glaring at him. “He’s not a spy!” She shouts, pulling Aang back as she backs away from the villagers. “He was the one who triggered the booby trap, but it was an accident!” 

“Katara,” Gran-Gran interjects. “He put you in danger by taking you on that ship, and now we’re all in danger because of his actions." She gives the Airbender a stern look of disapproval. "I think it would be best if he left.” 

“The foreigner is banished,” Sokka says, finalizing the decision. He ignores Katara's complaints as he points his club at Aang. “Get out of here, go!” Aang's eyes widen, and he looks to Katara briefly. Katara links their arms together, pointing at the villagers.

“If he’s leaving, _I’m_ leaving!” She exclaims. "Come on, Aang." Katara practically drags the Airbender with her, turning and storming away from the village.

Sokka lets out a groan of frustration, following after them. “Katara, stop! He’s dangerous.” He shouts.

“He is _not_ dangerous!” Katara shouts back, continuing to walk away. “He brought us all fun; I haven’t seen any of the kids laugh the way they did with him.” 

Sokka scowls. “You can’t fight the Fire Nation with laughter!" Katara ignores this, and Sokka groans again. "Katara, come back here!"

“No!” 

Aang says something, digging his heels into the snow until Katara is forced to stop walking. She turns to give the Airbender a confused look, and Aang shakes his head at her, pointing back to Sokka.

“You’re really just going to leave your family? Just like that?" Sokka tries as he approaches. He throws his arms up exasperatedly. "All for some stranger who can’t even speak the same language as you?” 

Katara opens her mouth to retort, but Aang cuts her off, putting a hand on her shoulder again. Sokka watches him give her a small smile before gesturing to Sokka. 

"Go," he says, and Sokka can't help but raise his eyebrows a little at the use of their language. Katara gasps a little, clearly also surprised, and Sokka lets out a quiet sigh as her eyes begin to well up a little. 

"So you're just leaving?" She asks the Airbender. The question is pointless; it's not like he'd be able to understand her. "Where will you go?" 

Aang rubs the back of his neck a little, shrugging at her as if to let her know that he can't understand her. Sokka rolls his eyes, ready for this to be over so they can get ready for the Fire Nation, when Katara pulls the Airbender into a tight hug. 

“Goodbye, Aang.” She mutters into his shoulder. Sokka has to suppress another eye-roll at the blush rising on the child's cheeks. 

Heavy footsteps sound behind Sokka, and he turns to see the boy's bison has arrived. It grumbles lowly, and Aang leaps up onto its head, grabbing the reins tightly. Sokka hears him mutter something to the beast before it begins to walk away; plodding over the hill and away from the village.

Sokka folds his arms over his chest as the two disappear from view. “Good riddance,” He says bitterly. “One less threat to-” 

“I can’t believe you!” Katara shouts, whipping around to face Sokka. “That was my one chance at being a Waterbender! A real one!”

Sokka furrows his brow at her. “What are you talking about? He was an Airbender!" He exclaims. "He wouldn’t be able to teach you _water_ bending.” 

“He would’ve been able to take me to the North Pole!” Katara argues.

“Yeah, by swimming there on his ‘flying’ beast? Why don’t we just take a boat instead?” Sokka suggests sarcastically. “Oh right, because the ocean is crawling with the Fire Navy!” 

“It’s a _bison,_ first of all!” Katara shouts. “Second, he _does_ fly, Aang told me Appa was just tired.” 

“Right, his _bison_ can fly, and he can also speak Southern Water Tribe fluently all of a sudden, gotcha,” Sokka says with an eye roll. “Maybe tomorrow a telepathic wizard who can speak backwards will visit us!” 

Katara makes a frustrated groan before stomping away from him, back towards their village. Whatever. Sokka doesn’t have time to argue with her right now. 

He has to prepare to defend his village. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. I have also used Inuit inspiration from Tumblr user mostly-mundane-atla and their hc that Sokka calls Appa 'pops' or 'gramps' because his name sounds like 'aapa', which means father/grandfather. Please check out both these lovely people as they have great insight to the AtLA universe and languages :D
> 
> also I don't know how to remove the first chapter's end notes from this one!!!!


	3. The Avatar Returns: Sokka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After battling a strange bald man with a ponytail, Sokka realises he just banished the one person the world needs most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This chapter is based on the second episode, but only up until Aang is actually taken away. For obvious reasons, I cut this in half because for the next chapter we will be focusing on ZUKO! 
> 
> Please feel free to call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix it! I'm trying my best to work with what I have, google is surprisingly unhelpful nowadays.

_"Get in; we're going to save your boyfriend."_

* * *

_This won’t be like the last time._

With two hands, Sokka pulls on his boots, preparing for what could be his first and final battle defending his village. 

_I won’t let anything bad happen to anyone._

He tightens his wrist straps, adjusting his gloves at the same time. Nothing can be out of place.

_I may be the only warrior in the village, but I’m ready._

Sokka practiced almost every day for a moment like this, running himself through the motions until he could do it with his eyes closed. His father put him in charge of defending his entire village while he and the men were away at sea, and Sokka never once took that position for granted. 

His job was to defend his people from every incoming threat, and right now, there was one on the horizon. 

Strapping his boomerang to his back and gripping his club tightly, Sokka strides out of his hut towards the edge of the village.

_I’m ready._

* * *

After what feels like hours, Sokka considers that perhaps the flare went unnoticed. 

There was the off chance that the Fire Nation wasn’t patrolling the surrounding area as frequently as he thought. He and Katara could go fishing most days incident-free, so the idea that the Fire Nation had better things to do isn’t as far-fetched as he thinks. 

The only thing that keeps Sokka rooted firmly in place is his gut feeling. 

Well, it’s more of a heart feeling than anything. Ever since he started preparing himself for an attack, there had been a strange, buzzing feeling blooming in the middle of his chest. Sokka chalked it up to nerves and adrenaline, but even after standing out here until the sky turned orange, the feeling remained. 

If anything, it got even stronger the more he stood out here. 

It kept him standing on the wall surrounding their village, gazing out into the misty horizon for any sign of the Fire Nation. He couldn’t deny he was feeling a little unsure of himself as his tribe members slowly drifted back into their daily activities; but this was his job, not theirs. He was standing here for them.

Suddenly ( _Finally_ ), just underneath the ambience of the tribe members behind him, there’s a sound. 

It’s quiet, and he feels it first. A quiet rumble starting under his toes as something pushes its way through the ice in the distance.

_They’re here._

There’s a gasp behind him, and a hush falls over the members of the tribe as they tune into the sound: Metal grinding, the hollow cracks of ice breaking. Mostly everyone in the village knows what this means.

The rumble works its way up to his legs until he can feel every part of him vibrating. A part of the wall crumbles, and Sokka curses under his breath because _of course_ his watchtower collapses too. 

The rumbling and groaning get louder and louder, and Sokka’s knees wobble violently as he tries to keep his balance. He can see something coming into view, something terrifyingly huge, and behind him, Katara screams at him to get out of the way. 

Sokka won’t back down though, even as the Fire Nation ship breaks through the mist, continuing towards him; it’s an unstoppable metal monster getting closer and closer, showing no signs of stopping or slowing as it storms towards the tribe. Sokka raises his club offensively, ready to die for his tribe, closing his eyes as he waits for the hit.

Despite the blow he’s expecting, Sokka finds himself unharmed as the ship crashes into the wall, creating a small avalanche that he slides down somewhat gracefully. 

After patting himself quickly and realising he's perfectly fine, Sokka stares up at the gigantic ship before him. It's smaller than he remembers, but maybe that's because he's bigger now. The feeling in his chest constricts violently, and he can feel his heart beating so wildly, as if it's trying to break free of his rib cage.

“Sokka, get away from there!” Katara hisses. Aside from her comment, it’s gone eerily quiet once more. 

“Get back!” Someone else calls out. 

“ _Nukatpia_ _ġruk_ _,_ come away!”

A loud hiss silences the members of the tribe, and steam escapes the bow of the ship. Sokka's eyes widen as it suddenly begins to lower at an alarming speed, groaning as it races towards Sokka. With a yelp, Sokka leaps backwards to avoid being smushed, landing hard on his rear in front of the gathered tribe members. 

Katara rushes to his side, grabbing hold of his arm. “Sokka, come on, get away from there!” 

Sokka shakes her off. “Katara, I’ve got this!” He looks at her sternly. “I can do this.” 

“Don’t be stubborn!” She argues back, yanking him up by his collar. “This isn’t a game; this is real!” 

Heavy footsteps interrupt the two of them, and they turn their attention to the metal ramp before them. 

Three figures in full Fire Nation armour make their way down, and Sokka feels his heart start to race even faster.

_I_ _t’s go time._

Yanking himself free of his sister's grasp, Sokka charges towards the enemies, running up the ramp towards them with a warriors cry. He grips his club tightly, aimed right at the soldier in the middle, who’s oddly short compared to the other two, and- 

Sokka stumbles because his club is kicked right out of his hands. 

With a gasp, Sokka barely has time to react before he’s also kicked over the side of the ramp, landing face-first into the snow with a pathetic _thump_. 

_Shit._

The enemy couldn’t have just killed him; they had to embarrass him in front of his tribe. His first _proper_ battle and he gets pushed into a snowbank.

Sokka struggles to escape, trying to free himself before the soldiers reach the other members of the tribe. He’d never forgive himself if they died after that spectacle. With a grunt, Sokka pushes himself out, biting back a yelp as he realises he may be a little more injured than he thought. His head aches from where the soldier kicked him, and he may have sprained his wrist from the fall. It feels like it’s on fire, burning hot despite the cold. Did the soldier firebend with his feet or something?

Sokka glances down at his gloves, but they’re free of any scorch marks, if a little damp from the snow. _I don’t have time for this._ He can examine his wounds later, for now, he’s got a village to defend.

After finding his club, Sokka watches the soldier who kicked him bark at his tribe in what he assumes to be the Fire Nation's language. One word catches his attention. 

_Avatar._

Which made... little sense. Why would the Fire Nation respond to a flare just to ask about the Avatar? 

The soldier growls at the tribe, throwing out an arc of fire at them, and Sokka feels his anger burn hotter than his wrist. With another war cry, he charges for a second time, holding his weapon close to avoid being disarmed so early. 

The soldier turns at his cry, throwing Sokka over his shoulder easily. 

“Sokka!” Katara cries as he lands hard for the second time that day. "Look out!"

He feels the heat of a flame behind him, rolling quickly to avoid being burned by the fire that chases him. Sokka’s club lays out of reach again, and in a last-ditch effort, he throws his boomerang at the enemy, his second and final weapon flying out of view. 

The soldier watches as it whizzes past his head, turning back to Sokka, glaring. Or maybe he's scowling? It's hard for Sokka to tell; the angry scar on his face contorts his expression drastically. 

“You insult me!” The soldier barks, and at the sound of his voice, Sokka suddenly becomes aware that this soldier is a teenager, just like him. It was a little hard to tell from a distance, but the height, the smooth skin-aside from the scar-it all adds up that Sokka's fighting someone his own age.

Sokka's also a little caught off guard by the sudden use of the Earth Kingdom language. Really, why not start with a universal language during a raid? Makes it a bit easier to get what you want, in Sokka's opinion.

The soldier produces twin flames from his palms, interrupting his thoughts. “Prepare yourself to perish!” He announces, stepping towards Sokka menacingly.

_So his Earth Kingdom is a little off._ It made more sense why the soldier didn't open with that. 

Sokka rises to his feet, ignoring the pain his body is in. He’s pretty sore all over, but the most concerning part is the white-hot burning on his wrist. He knows in his heart he can’t fight a trained soldier with a broken wrist, but he can’t give up, not like this. 

Luckily, Sokka gets another moment to recover. Before the soldier can attack, boomerang returns, hitting him squarely in the head and stunning him briefly. 

The children behind Sokka giggle at the display, one of them calling to him, “Show no fear!” while tossing a spear at his feet. Sokka quickly grabs the weapon, aiming it at his opponent defensively. 

“Cease this!” The soldier shouts as he readjusts his helmet. He glares at the tribe members. “I know you have him concealed.” 

Despite understanding his language, Sokka still doesn’t know what the soldier is asking for. _Have who concealed?_

Sokka could only think the guy was asking for the Avatar, which he mentioned earlier. Asking for the Avatar was like asking for a lion turtle though; they’ve been dead for a long time, so there’s no point in getting your hopes up. 

Sokka rushes at the soldier once more, spear aimed right at his opponent's heart. Sokka was banking on the soldier being too distracted from his interrogation to counter Sokka's attack, but the soldier disarms him like every other time. He snaps the weapon on half, hitting Sokka with the broken pieces before tossing them to the side.

_Great._ That was everything he had prepared for this raid, except his fists. Sokka knows he isn’t trained very well in hand-to-hand combat, and considering the injuries he’s gathered, it won’t be a very impressive battle. 

If Sokka believed in the universe's power, he’d say what happened next was a display of said power. As soon the soldier began advancing on Sokka, twin flames burning in his palms, Aang suddenly flew into him on the back of a… penguin-seal? 

Sokka scurries back to the tribe as the soldier recovers, and as Aang skids to a stop in front of them, he grins widely. 

“Katara! Idiot!” He says happily, offering them a small wave. 

“Hey, Aang,” Sokka replies with a sigh. A few of the children giggle again, poking Sokka and whispering the word 'idiot' to him. 

The soldier Aang knocked over recovers quickly, and without his helmet displays a high ponytail tied off with ribbon, completely bald everywhere else. Sokka hears the children giggling again, calling him interesting names like ‘bald pigeon’ and ‘forehead boy’.

Aang stands, raising his staff at the soldier. 

“You are looking for me?” He asks, and Sokka quirks an eyebrow. He didn’t know Aang could speak Earth Kingdom.

The soldier scowls. “You’re the Airbender?” He retorts. After a second, the soldier barks something else to Aang, something Sokka doesn’t understand. 

Aang seems to though, gaping at the soldier before grinning wildly. He responds in his language, which Sokka assumes the soldier spoke, speaking quickly and excitedly before the soldier cuts him off. 

“Enough!” He shouts in Earth kingdom. “Take the Avatar to his cell.” 

Sokka gapes. “No way,” he whispers as the other soldiers close in on Aang. _The Avatar?_

“The Avatar?” Katara whispers, echoing Sokka’s thoughts. He glances up to see her gaping at Aang as well.

As Aang stumbles away from them, escorted roughly by two taller soldiers, Katara rushes forward.

“No!” She cries, and the smaller soldier raises his hand to her, effectively frightening her enough to keep her distance as they walk. 

Aang turns back with a small smile. “Don't worry, Katara,” He says in Earth Kingdom. With a wink, he adds, “Don’t take any wooden nickels while I’m gone!” 

Sokka blinks. _What?_

Katara seems confused as well, slowing to a stop and cocking her head to one side as Aang continues up the metal ramp. The bow closes up behind them, leaving the entire village a little confused with the Avatar’s farewell. 

Well, all except Gran-Gran, who mutters, 

“Talk about showing your age.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a way that is more educational than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3
> 
> Non-English words used:  
> Nukatpiaġruk - boy (Inupiaq)


	4. The Avatar Returns: Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko deals with the unwanted realisation that he has a soulmate, while trying to keep the Avatar within his grasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy... my boy Zuko has some problems to sort out.  
> Also, my province just went into a month-long lockdown so I'll have plenty of time to write as I stay holed up in my house like a good citizen. I hope yall are doing the same. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> Okay so we have a little bit of a self-harm/burn moment here, but it's not crazy and I obviously don't want to spoil anything, but the actual scene begins at the sentence, "Swallowing the lump in his throat and gritting his teeth, [spoiler]". It ends at, "This is pathetic." If you really do not want to read anything within this scene (it's incredibly minor) I'll have the explanation in the end notes.

_"He says I was lucky to be born."_

* * *

**ZUKO**

_Finally._

Three long years at sea. Hours of searching and tirelessly scouring the earth for a myth that eluded generations of his family. 

_I’m going home._

It’s been too long since Zuko’s felt the warmth of Agni’s rays in a place that he belonged. The far ends of the earth did something to the sun that made it feel weaker. Made _him_ feel weaker. He can already feel it, the warm welcome from his years of banishment, his honour restored. 

Zuko stares up at the Fire Nation insignia displayed proudly in his quarters. Fine silk hanging before the place he meditates. He releases a breath, casting his eyes down. _And yet… It’s been so long._ What if he’s disappointed everyone, taking three years to capture a _child_? What if he’s turned away?

_That’s not possible,_ Zuko thinks, cursing under his breath. They _will_ welcome him back. He’s just captured the Avatar; not even the great Azulon could do that. The Fire Lord _will_ restore his honour, and he’ll resume his place as the rightful heir to the throne.

_Except,_ he thinks, lingering doubt shadowing his pride, _there’s something else._

Something that could cost him the throne. 

Back home, the Fire Sages told Zuko that once he turned eighteen, he’d become engaged to a woman from a family with high political standing or a strong firebending bloodline; as was his fore-fathers. He’d be married to her on his twenty-first birthday, six months before his coronation. 

Zuko always had a feeling it would be Mai. He truthfully hoped it would be; Mai used to be his closest friend in the palace, before his banishment. Azula even teased them both for it, which further convinced Zuko it would be Mai. Azula had a way of getting what she wanted. 

But this… 

Zuko’s mother once spoke about soulmates to him with a wistful longing in her voice. She’d always tell Zuko about the wonders spirits blessed upon humans; soulmates one of them. She told him that once he met his soulmate, he’d receive his soulmark. The mark would make itself known to him in some way.

Then one day, she’d come into his room in a panic, telling him that if he ever found his soulmate to tell no one. To keep the mark hidden away forever, and to _especially_ not let his father find out. 

That was the last thing she ever told him. 

So it’s understandable when Zuko finally feels the burn, the ache, the _pain_ of a soulmark forming on his wrist, he’s fearful. 

_This could ruin everything._

Zuko’s almost afraid to look. 

He’s heard of soulmates getting their marks like this. One could call it unrequited love, but it felt more like a forced connection to Zuko. A playdate between two young children who had met once before through their parents. It made sense, considering Zuko does _not_ want a soulmate. 

And… he doesn’t know who it is.

Zuko couldn’t even put a face to the unread name below his sleeve. The adrenaline he’d experienced after seeing the Avatar pushed the pain to the back of his mind. He’d brushed it off as a minor injury from disarming the warrior who kept attacking him. Zuko couldn’t even really say when it began, only that an unknown member of the tribe triggered it. _And technically… I met the entire tribe at once._

Zuko paces, the burn ebbing away into a painful itch. He hasn’t even looked. How can he? Father had always implied luck was never on his side, but this? A member of the royal family cursed by the spirits, his perfect match a _savage_? It’s laughable. Father would banish him again. Or just kill him. 

Zuko pinches his sleeve, eyes flitting nervously to his wrist as he paces around the room. Perhaps his soulmate is the older woman he grabbed? It’s a hopeful thought; one Zuko only wishes for because then there’s the chance his soulmate would die of old age before his father found out.

_I have to look._

Except… Zuko can’t look. He’s never been very good at lying, and if he wants to delay the inevitable as long as he can, he will need to lie about having a soulmate. People will ask, regardless, so it’s easier to have never seen it. A three-year banishment, travelling across the world for the Avatar; surely he’d have met his soulmate by now, and _surely_ father would ask, surely _anyone_ would ask. Azula would undoubtedly ask, and she’d know right away if he was lying. 

A knock sounds at his door, pulling Zuko from his thoughts. 

He pats down his robes, tugging his sleeve deliberately over his wrist before speaking.

“State your business.” He demands with as much authority as he can, but at the sound of the voice from the other side, Zuko relaxes.

“I came to congratulate you on your victory, Prince Zuko,” says his Uncle Iroh. “I’m sure you’re very proud.” 

Zuko allows a small smile. “Thank you, Uncle,” He responds in a softer tone. “You can come in.” 

Iroh enters, a warm expression on his features. “I’m sure you’re excited to go home,” He says and closes the door behind him. “I’ve already set our course, with a few stops along the way. We passed a charming little tea shop near the Earth Kingdom that I’d like to visit again.” 

Zuko's fingers twitch along the fabric that covers his wrist. “How many stops?” He asks. 

“I’m sure you’re keen to return home, Prince Zuko,” Iroh responds. “So I did not allow too many moments of rest. I even refrained from sending a hawk to the Fire Lord.” 

At the mention of the delayed hawk, Zuko raises an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?” 

Iroh’s eyes narrow slightly. “Well, Prince Zuko,” He starts, stroking his beard absentmindedly. “I’m sure the Fire Lord will be interested to hear of your travels. I figured you should have ample time to recollect your journey.”

Zuko stiffens slightly, not missing the way his Uncle's gaze flicks toward his wrist. “That has nothing to do with the Avatar,” He replies. “I doubt he’d want to hear about it.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Iroh muses. He walks over to the tapestry, admiring the silk before turning back to Zuko with a curious expression. “Perhaps, though, he’ll want to hear about who you met during-”

“I need to meditate!” Zuko blurts out.

Iroh’s eyes widen slightly, and a beat passes between them.

Zuko collects himself, raising his chin slightly as he says, “I’m feeling a little tired after my victory, and would like to be left alone.” 

Iroh pauses. His expression flickers to something Zuko doesn't recognise before he nods slowly, turning and shuffling toward the door.

_He doesn’t know,_ Zuko thinks. _The silly old man was just making assumptions_. Though, that doesn’t ease his anxiety. Uncle didn’t even know for sure, and he already asked, meaning it was likely that would be the first thing _father_ would ask.

Zuko slumps down onto his cot as Iroh closes the door behind him, and throws his head into his hands as his Uncle's footsteps fade down the hall. Everything he’s worked towards has just gone up in flames in his face. He was hopeful before, but if Uncle is already asking questions, who knows how long he’ll have once he returns home.

_I captured the Avatar; that has to mean something._

Zuko’s father, grandfather, _and_ great-grandfather all tried and failed to kill the Avatar. _Zuko_ captured him; the original avatar that escaped Sozin’s attack, hiding away for a hundred years. It’s an impressive feat for a 16-year-old; surely, it has to mean _something_. Surely his father would pardon this.

Zuko groans, dropping his hand to stare numbly where the soulmark hides. The only way his father would forgive him was if Zuko killed his soulmate. There were several reasons Zuko couldn’t do that, one of them being the anonymity surrounding them. 

He could lie, say he murdered his soulmate in an epic battle with the Avatar. After finding out that his soulmate was a lowly savage of the southern water tribe, he smites them where they stand; looking them in the eyes, so they _knew_ they had disgraced the royal family by imprinting upon him.

_Azula would figure you out_ , his mind helpfully reminds him. He erases the scenario from his thoughts with a scowl. Of course, Azula always knows when he’s lying. At the very least, Azula would doubt him enough to convince his father to obliterate the southern water tribe once and for all, just in case. Was Zuko ready for that? A genocide, on his hands? He saw the tribe; they had one defender about the same age as Zuko, with a fraction of the training. They didn’t even appear to have any waterbenders. Not like Zuko cared for some stupid tribe; even if his soulmate was born there, he had no ties himself. 

Flopping backwards onto his cot, Zuko sighs, holding his soulmarked hand above his face. _Maybe I should just burn it off._

A beat passes before Zuko sits up suddenly, eyes wide as he stares down at his wrist. 

_What if I burned it off?_

His heart raced at the thought. Could he do that? Zuko bites his lip. It’s a ridiculous, horrible idea, but it might save him in the long run. If he burned off his soulmark, which he isn’t even sure is possible, it might convince his father _and_ Azula that he really killed them. The Fire Nation wouldn’t bother the South unless necessary, and Zuko wouldn’t have to worry about any genocides being his fault. 

Zuko glances at his other hand. Even if it was possible, could he even bring himself to do it? What if it didn’t work, and if he met his soulmate later in life, and they thought he hated them because of it? 

What if… his soulmate felt it? 

Zuko shakes his head, taking a deep breath. He can’t think like this. If he doesn’t burn it off, his soulmate will go through much worse than a stupid burn. Maybe he’d have reason to trust his doubts if he were a child, but right now he needed to be an adult about this.

_It’s decided then._ He’s going to burn it off, which means he’s going to look. It's surprisingly not as difficult as he'd been imagining, his fingers are only shaking a little as he inches back the fabric of his shirt, revealing the mark hidden underneath:

**_SOKKA_ **

_It’s... blue_. The letters on Zuko’s skin are blue, a very dark blue that disguises itself as black until the light hits it just right; a stark contrast to his pale skin. It’s hard to see in the dim candlelight of his room, but he knows it’s blue. He's never heard of a soulmark with colour before.

Zuko lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and allows himself a moment to breathe. There's no one here in his room, no one to smite him for the name written carefully on his skin. Alone, Zuko would like to call it beautiful. The lettering is proud and mighty on his skin, boldly displaying the name in a way that begs to be shown off. There's personality, and life, and a heartbeat all in a name. Zuko's heart pounds away in his chest, a blush rising to his cheeks, he can feel something spark in the middle of his chest and—

_Stop it!_ Zuko scowls, blinking a few times as reality crashes around him once again. He's breathing a little heavier, and he feels silly for the thoughts he's just had. _A heartbeat, really?_ He’s about to burn off the stupid mark and lie to his entire family that his soulmate is dead. _These are not the thoughts to be having._

Zuko focuses on the mark again, tracing it softly. It looks… familiar. Like he’s known the name before. If his mother were here, maybe she’d be able to explain it somehow. Perhaps it’s a soulmate thing; it wasn’t like Zuko knew the language of the Water Tribes very well, but this name came to him easily. It felt like he knew them, whoever they were. 

Zuko takes another deep breath, readying himself for what he’s about to do. He can’t let anyone know that his soulmate is from the water tribe, and if they do, they need to believe Zuko has killed them. Swallowing the lump in his throat and gritting his teeth, Zuko points two fingers at the soulmark, producing a small, concentrated flame. _I can do this._

Zuko flinches as the heat reaches him, biting his lip as the sharp bite of the flame attacks his skin. It’s not unbearable, but Zuko's not invincible. It may be hard to burn a firebender, but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

A sharp pain jolts him suddenly, and Zuko yanks his hand away, looking down at the smouldering wrist. There’s a red patch where he was burning, but right where the flame met the mark—where he felt the worse-than-before pain—the skin is unharmed. 

Zuko frowns, furrowing his brow as he tries again. 

The same pain shoots through his wrist, and Zuko stares in disbelief at the soulmark. 

He can’t burn it off. 

At least, he can’t do it himself. The pain is too much; he’s never felt fire like that before, and he won’t be able to push through it. He’ll just have to get someone else to do it for him. Who could he trust? They’d know about his soulmark, and even worse, they’d know he couldn’t burn it off himself. _This is pathetic_.

Zuko’s door flies open suddenly, tearing him from his thoughts, and he looks up to the figure standing in his doorway. 

It's... the Avatar?

“I found you!” The Avatar exclaims, taking a step into the room.

Zuko’s stunned for only a second, shocked at the sudden appearance of an unchained prisoner before he jumps up and shoots a blast of fire at the child. 

“Whoa!” The Avatar says as he dodges the attack, slipping behind him with ease. “Hey- I just want to talk to you!”

“How did you escape?” Zuko demands in the child’s language, whipping around with a fist full of fire.

The Avatar dodges again. “Airbender secret!” He exclaims proudly, and Zuko scowls, shooting another blast.

“How can you understand me but my other friends couldn't?” The Avatar asks. Zuko continues to shoot fire at him as the Avatar practically bounces around the room. “Did you visit the air temples? Have you seen the monks?” 

“Hold still!” Zuko shouts, throwing another blast. _How is he so fast?_

Zuko stumbles as the Airbender trips him up suddenly, wrapping the tapestry from the wall tightly around him, pinning his arms to his sides. 

The Avatar stands in front of him, warily. “I don’t want to fight you,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender. “I just have some questions for you.” 

Zuko scowls again. “You don’t have the right to interrogate me!” He shouts. “You’re a prisoner of this ship!” 

The Airbender raises an eyebrow. “I’m a what?” 

“A prisoner!” Zuko repeats, glaring at the boy. A smile breaks out on the child's face, and Zuko feels his cheeks burning. “What are you smiling for?” 

“Nothing!” Says the Avatar. “You just said it kinda funny. The emphasis is on the-”

“Shut up!” Zuko interrupts, burning the tapestry off of him. Strips of smouldering fabric fall as he storms towards the Airbender. He doesn’t have time to be critiqued on a language no one has spoken for a hundred years. “You will surrender yourself and come with me peacefully to the Fire Nation, _in chains_.” 

The Airbender’s smile is gone, replaced by a look of concern. “The Fire Nation? Why do you want to take me there? And why do I need to be chained up?” 

_What?_

“Because you’re the Avatar!” Zuko exclaims, frustration stoking his inner flame. The world has been looking for the Avatar for a century, how could he not know? 

“Does the Fire Nation need me?” The child asks, confusion evident in his tone. 

“Don’t play dumb,” Zuko says with a scowl. “The Fire Nation has been hunting you for over a hundred years!” 

The Avatar’s brow furrows, his shoulders dropping slightly. “What are you talking about?” He asks, his voice a whisper.

Zuko scowls again. He doesn’t have time for this; the Avatar is just trying to stall him. Mustering as much rage as he can to fuel his next attack, Zuko forms a gigantic fireball between his hands before shooting it straight towards the Avatar.

The Airbender’s eyes widen at the attack.

“Uh oh,” he says, before blasting the fireball to the side, setting more of the room on fire. Before Zuko can produce a second fireball, the Avatar airbends _him_ into the other wall, effectively stopping any further attacks. 

Zuko groans as he recovers, just in time to watch the Avatar race out of the room. 

“Guards!” Zuko shouts as he quickly gets back on his feet. He races out of the room and after the Avatar, calling for anyone around him. “Capture the Avatar!”

Sprinting through the ship, Zuko chases the Avatar up to the helm, watching as he takes a literal flying leap off the ledge after throwing his staff—which Zuko now realises is a glider. 

Zuko jumps too; not because he’s thinking rationally, but because he’s watching his key to getting home fly further and further out of reach, so he jumps. He’s putting all his energy into his feet, willing himself to reach the Airbender before it’s too late. 

At the last second, Zuko latches onto the Airbender’s ankle.

“Hey—!” The child exclaims, and they both fall hard and fast, landing onto the ship’s deck just in time for Zuko’s guards to appear. 

After taking a moment to recover, Zuko and the Avatar stand, facing each other in defensive positions. _I won’t let him escape,_ Zuko thinks determinedly.

A loud growl sounds from a distance, snapping Zuko’s attention to the sky, and in the distance, a small white dot grows larger by the second.

“What is that?” Zuko asks aloud. 

“Appa!” The Avatar exclaims. Zuko flicks his gaze back to the small bald child, and with the element of surprise favouring him, he strikes. 

Zuko sends a hot arc of fire towards him, one that the Airbender narrowly avoids with a last-minute leap. Zuko strikes again, using his offensive position to his advantage, driving the Avatar into a corner; the edge of the ship.

The white blip in the sky gets closer and closer, looking more like a large hairy beast, and Zuko realises his window of opportunity is closing fast. He shoots more fire blasts at the child, forcing the Airbender to teeter on the edge of the ship dangerously. 

“ _Nutqaġiñ!_ ” Someone shouts as Zuko sends one last fatal blast towards the Avatar. 

Tumbling down from the ship and into the icy waters below, the Avatar is defeated. 

_Finally,_ Zuko thinks as his chest heaves. He’ll worry about retrieving the body later, and turns to face the giant creature flying beside his ship. Whoever came to save the Avatar will also need to be dealt with. 

“Guards!” Zuko shouts. “Attack the-” 

A loud rumbling from the ocean interrupts him, and Zuko stumbles as the ship begins to shake. His guards all steady themselves around him, and Zuko watches as something erupts from the water.

Zuko realises his victory over the Avatar was short-lived.

Towering over them on a typhoon of water, the Avatar glares down at the ship. His eyes and tattoos glow brightly; an ancient power that frightens Zuko to his core as he realises the Avatar is looking directly at him. 

He’s too stunned to react when the Avatar finally descends, manipulating the water around him offensively. The water hits him quickly, a substantial force of power that sends him and his crew over the edge of the ship, similar to the Avatar’s fate from before. 

At the last second Zuko manages to catch the ship’s edge, clinging on as tightly as he can. 

“Aang!” He hears a young woman shout, followed by the growl of what Zuko assumes is the creature from before. 

“Hey guys,” The Avatar mutters in response, and Zuko can hear the exhaustion in his voice. “I dropped my staff.” He makes a mental note of the energy the Avatar must use when displaying power like that.

Another boy speaks in a language he doesn't understand, and Zuko pulls himself up a little more to see what’s going on. The Avatar lays weakly on the deck beside one of the girls from the tribe, and headed straight towards him—to retrieve the Avatar’s staff—is the warrior who fought him in the village. 

Zuko takes his chance and reaches for the staff at the same time as the warrior, startling the boy.

“ _Asu!_ ” He shouts, trying to yank the staff out of Zuko’s grip. Zuko's sees that his guards have recovered, cornering the Avatar and the young girl. 

“ **Sokka!** ” The Avatar exclaims as he jumps onto the beast. “Let’s go!” 

“I’m trying!” The warrior responds in Earth Kingdom, before muttering something else that Zuko doesn’t understand. 

Or maybe he did understand, but he just wasn’t listening. Zuko can’t really hear much at the moment, except for the name ringing in his ears.

_Sokka._

Zuko meets the warrior's eyes, the boy’s expression a mixture of frustration and fear as he tries to free the staff from Zuko’s grip. _There’s no way. It has to be a coincidence._ It’s too large of a coincidence for Zuko to believe.

Primarily due to his shock, Zuko fumbles the staff, and the warrior falls backwards, Zuko following suit before just managing to grab the edge of the ship. _They’ll try me for treason._

He’s not listening as the warrior shouts something at him before running away. _I’ll be publicly executed_. 

Zuko’s Uncle has appeared, helping him up before asking what they should do, but Zuko’s not thinking straight. _I can’t just burn it off._ Blood rushes in his ears as he and his Uncle blast a fireball at the beast flying out of reach. His heart rate picks up as the ice shelf collapses from the Avatar’s counter-move, covering his ship in snow and ice; but it doesn’t matter. 

He’ll have to cut off his hand. Zuko will actually have to kill his soulmate. He can no longer sit back and pretend like this is nothing. In hindsight, the name on his wrist doesn’t even look feminine; surely someone else would notice and ask. 

_Azula will know. She’ll know, and she’ll get me killed._

It was one thing to have a soulmate from the Southern Water Tribe. 

It was an entirely different predicament to have a soulmate that was a boy.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a way that is more educational than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3
> 
> Non-English Words Used:  
> Nutqaġiñ! - stop (Inupiaq)  
> Asu! - stop (Inupiaq)
> 
> SPOILER SCENE:  
> For those who didn't read the scene marked at the beginning of the chapter, Zuko decides he's going to burn off the mark. He quickly realises he can't burn it off, because when the flame reaches the soulmark it's very intense and he's like "whoa I've never felt fire like that before" bc he's a firebender and would normally be more resistant. He decides he'll either need someone else to do it for him, but then Aang bursts into the room lol.


	5. The Southern Air Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is prepared for the discovery of what happened at the Southern Air Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom, quick updates. No job = no responsibilities = more time to write. 
> 
> First of all, The Southern Air Temple is one of the SADDEST episodes imo, like right up there with the tale of Iroh. One of the many episodes that bring tears to my eyes as I watch. The music, everything, it's all so sad :( also sorry this chapter really got away from me lol, somewhere near the end I checked the word count and actually gasped, like baby what is you doing??
> 
> Also we're back to Sokka's POV! I'll make it clear whenever we have Zuko's pov by putting his name at the top like I did the last chapter.

* * *

  
  


_“Why didn’t you tell us you were the Avatar?”_

_“Because… I never wanted to be.”_

* * *

Sokka had never been so far from home. 

He’d gotten lost plenty of times amongst the snowdrifts and ice shelves; stuck in blizzards with his dad, huddling inside of his anorak to stay warm. He’d always been close enough to walk back within a day, though.

This was not like those times. 

Aang had first brought them to a little clearing after their Fire Nation encounter. He thought it would be an excellent place to spend the night and recover from the events. Sokka hadn’t thought twice about his potentially broken wrist—which still hurt like a bitch—because he’d simply never seen so much green. Bushes dotted the mountains that surrounded them, leafy and in surplus. Sokka’s back ached from the hard ground, far less comfortable than the animal skins back home. It had been a nice place to relax, though, right up until Aang woke Sokka up by pretending there was a prickle-snake in his sleeping bag. 

Then it was all blue. Appa soared into the sky in a graceful arc until the sky blended into the ocean below them, the colour blue spanning thousands of miles in every direction. They were so high up, Sokka could touch the clouds if he wanted to. Though, after watching Katara almost water bend one, he figured they’d be a little too wet for his liking. 

It was… almost a bit much to wrap Sokka’s head around. He’d heard his fair share of stories told around the fire, but this? Before this, Sokka wouldn’t have ever _dreamed_ of describing the ocean from such a high place. Clouds used to be untouchable; just a part of the sky he couldn’t reach. Now he was here, experiencing it. It was beautiful. It was terrifying. It was new.

Of course, it was also a bit of an inconvenience. 

“Hey, how much longer do you think we’ll be flying for?” Sokka asks no one in particular. “I’m getting kinda hungry.” As if on cue, his stomach rumbles quietly beneath his gloved hand.

Katara turns back to him with a smirk. “Did you already eat all the snacks Gran-Gran packed?” 

Sokka’s mouth begins to water. He did not know about the snacks. “No, where are they?” He all but demands and Katara tosses one of the sacks they brought along. 

As Sokka tears into the suspiciously light bag, Aang turns back from where he sits at Appa’s horns. 

“Oh,” He starts, a sheepish expression on his face. “That was food?” 

Sokka’s heart sinks, shaking the bag and watching the crumbs bounce around inside. 

“I used that to light the fire,” Aang says, and Sokka swears he can feel his heart breaking as he sets the bag down. “I’m sorry…” 

“It’s fine,” Sokka replies with a sigh, slumping against the edge of Appa’s saddle. “Just let me know once we’re there.” Sokka can only hope that the Air Nomads had a taste for preserving food for over a hundred years. 

After saving Aang from the Fire Nation ship, Sokka had demanded some answers in Earth Kingdom. Aang had been more than happy to oblige, letting them know that he was, in fact, the Avatar and that he wasn’t exactly pleased about it. When Aang asked why the Fire Nation wanted him as a prisoner, it had taken a few tries to get the message across as nicely as possible. The bottom line was, the Fire Nation started a war that began with a hunt for the Avatar. Katara had tried to imply that the war _actually_ began with the Air Nomads, but Aang didn’t seem to understand. After that, she had changed the subject, and the two of them quickly got themselves excited over learning to waterbend together at the Northern Water Tribe.

Sokka decided to be the realist in the situation, suggesting they stick to speaking one language if they plan on heading to the North. Considering Earth Kingdom was the one language they all knew the best, Sokka decided it would be best to stick to that. Aang, for whatever reason, had found that statement funny. 

“What? It’s a common language between us, even if yours is a little dated,” Sokka had said. 

Aang had giggled before saying, “No no, I agree with you. You guys just talk funny sometimes in Earth Kingdom. Very… unchanging.” 

“What do you mean?” Katara had asked. 

“Well,” Aang explained. “Earth Kingdom relies on tonal changes. You and Sokka both speak flat, so it sounds funny sometimes.” 

Sokka thought his Earth Kingdom sounded just fine but had made a mental note to look into what Aang had meant by that. _Sokka’s travelling to-do list: Find a dictionary._ If the Air Temple didn’t at least have food, perhaps they’d have some sort of translation scroll. 

Dragging him out of his thoughts, Katara grins widely and points to some mountains in the distance. “Sokka, look! Aang says this is the Patola mountain range!”

“It means we’re getting close!” Aang chirps from beside her. Sokka’s stomach grumbles excitedly. 

Aang urges Appa to fly faster, and the beast complies happily. Sokka assumes the hairy creature is likely just as excited to get home as his companion. Despite their excitement, something gnaws at the back of his mind, and he taps Katara’s shoulder. 

“ _Hey_ ,” He whispers in Water Tribe. “ _Aang has to know before we get there. We don’t know what we’ll find._ ” 

Katara’s brow furrows, and she bites her lip. “ _I’ll talk to him,_ ” She says, before crawling up to the front of the saddle. 

“Hey, Aang,” She starts softly, and Aang turns to smile at her. 

“Hello, Katara!” 

Katara shifts uncomfortably. “I’m sure you’re excited to see your home after all this time, but,” She starts with a small smile. “I just want you to be prepared for what you might see.”

Aang tilts his head to one side. “What do you mean?” 

“Well,” Katara says, clearing her throat. “You’ve been gone for a long time. The Fire Nation-” 

“I know what you’re going to say, but the Fire Nation wouldn’t be able to get to the Air temples, Katara,” Aang interrupts, turning back to face forwards. “You need a sky bison to get up here, just wait.” 

Katara turns back to Sokka with a frown, and Sokka sighs quietly. _Let’s hope they cleaned up after themselves,_ he thinks. 

After a few more moments of flying, Aang points to something behind the clouds. 

“There it is!” He exclaims, and as they get closer, Sokka feels his jaw go slack. 

It’s a magnificent structure built into a mountain, with spiral towers and elegant pathways covered in snow. It’s enormous; bigger than Sokka could ever imagine, getting bigger the closer they get. 

“Oh wow,” Katara whispers, her expression mirroring Sokka’s. “It’s beautiful.” 

It’s also hauntingly empty. While Sokka was expecting this, he’s not so sure Aang will be expecting the same thing. 

Finally, they land, Aang quickly dismounting from the bison and running up the path. Katara and Sokka follow suit, Sokka’s stomach grumbling louder than before. 

“ _I hope they cooked a bunch of food before getting attacked,_ ” Sokka mutters in Water Tribe, and Katara smacks his elbow. “ _Ow! What? It’s not like he can understand me!_ ” 

“ _You’re insensitive, even if he can’t hear you, show some respect,_ ” Katara hisses. 

“Sokka, Katara, come and see!” Aang calls from up ahead. 

Sokka sighs as he trudges up the hill to see what has Aang so excited. Even with food on his mind, Sokka can’t help but worry about the young Airbender. 

_I hope I’m at least not with him when he finds out._

* * *

After a delightful game of airball that left Sokka with a few more bruises to add to his collection, he decided to go off on his own for a little bit. There was a lot to explore, and while Aang was here primarily to look for signs of the Air Nomads, Sokka had other plans. 

He also _really_ didn’t want to stumble across any signs of genocide while with Aang. 

Aside from that, Sokka’s main focus was to find food. He’d already come across what he believed to be a kitchen, but he hadn’t seen anything safe to consume. His stomach seemed to growl non-stop, simultaneously motivating and aggravating Sokka during his search. At this point, a handful of snow was looking pretty tempting. At least to take the edge off. 

Occasionally as he walked, Sokka could hear Katara and Aang running around the temple shouting excitedly. At least, they sounded excited. To his knowledge, there hadn’t been any meltdowns or anything like that. 

Stepping through another crumbling doorway, Sokka peers around the dark room he’s come across. Sokka found as he explored, some parts of the temple felt unnatural; the silence deafened him, sometimes he felt like eyes were on him. It was as if he’d walked into a room full of ghosts who didn’t want him to know they were there. This room gave him all of those feelings.

Shivering as he takes a step, Sokka realises the room is more extensive than he thought as the sound echoes around him. He quickly ducks back out of the doorway to take another look at the outer walls. _Huh, it’s hidden into the mountain._ The entryway to the room implied the room was about as big as his home in the South. 

_There must be a window somewhere_ , Sokka thinks as he walks back in through the doorway. Big rooms usually equal windows, at least that’s what Sokka hopes.

Blindly stumbling forwards with his hand against the wall, Sokka walks until his fingers catch on a piece of ratty fabric. With a quick movement, Sokka tears the fabric away from the window, illuminating the area he’s standing in. 

“A library…” Sokka whispers. Shadows still cover most of the room, but the shelf before him spans almost as tall as the ceiling; books sitting under a thick layer of dust. “How did they manage to miss this?” 

Everything Sokka knew about the Fire Nation was rooted in the attacks on his home and the elders’ stories. They were evil and burned everything in their path, leaving no stone unturned; not a soul unaffected by their wrath. To find a library mostly untouched was a challenge to that brutality.

_Or they were too busy killing everyone to find it,_ Sokka thinks as he steps towards the bookshelf. Sokka himself had severely misjudged the room’s size, and it had looked pretty inconspicuous from the outside. He also hadn’t seen many Fire Nation helmets up this way, so it was likely they just never made it over here before they finished murdering everyone. 

Sokka uses the wall method to uncover two more windows, a substantial amount of light pouring into the room. Sokka’s counted at least six bookshelves all towering above him, as well as dozens of books lying untouched. He only wishes he brought a bag or something with him; Sokka’s sure Aang would love to see a part of his culture survived. 

Perusing through the shelves, Sokka has his mind set on finding a dictionary of sorts. _Would the Air Nomads even need a dictionary?_ It’s not like Sokka knows a lot about the Air Nomads, perhaps they were so cut off from the world they did not need to speak other languages, let alone learn translations for them. Or maybe they were so diverse that they had them in surplus? Either way, Sokka hadn’t had any luck so far. 

Or perhaps he had. The realisation dawns on Sokka that he can’t read most of the titles he’s picking up, and he smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand. _Time to backtrack_. He turns back to the few books he’d left in his path, picking them up and opening them to try and figure out the contents. It’s still an impossible task; Sokka has probably only ever read two books in his entire life, and the Air Nomads seemed to like writing absolute nonsense. 

Finally, after what feels like eons, after Sokka’s eyes have unfocused for the fiftieth time, he recognises some writing.

“Aha!” He exclaims, his attention perking back up. He scans the rest of the page and confirms that this is an Earth Kingdom to Air Nomad dictionary, with little pictures next to some phrases to inform the reader of their meaning. It’s not exactly helpful, considering he doesn’t _need_ to speak any Air Nomad, but it’s something. Sokka tucks the book under his arm, grabbing a few more as he leaves the library. 

Traversing down the path he came is a little more challenging with several books in his arms. It was difficult enough hoisting himself up to certain ledges; getting back down those ledges is even worse with no free hands. Eventually, though, he makes it back to the Air Temple’s central platform, looking around for any sign of the Avatar and his sister. 

“Aang? Katara!” He calls out. He’s not in a rush by any means, but it would be nice to regroup now that he’s found something useful. Sokka’s stomach growls loudly, reminding him he’s still got some searching to do. He decides to drop the books on a crumbling bench and come back for them later. Better to avoid risking any damages while he searches the rest of the temple. 

Walking through a precarious archway carefully, Sokka hears Aang giggling and shouting in the distance. He picks up his pace, the giant spiral tower coming closer into view. 

Something catches his attention at the bottom of the tower, twitching and fidgeting around nervously on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Sokka’s mouth waters as he realises it’s an animal. 

“Meat…” He whispers hungrily, and his stomach lets loose a particularly loud growl. 

The animal’s comically large ears perk up, and it turns its head to Sokka with a curious chirping sound. 

“No need to panic little guy,” Sokka says as he creeps forward. “I’m just gonna catch you, and then kill you, and then eat you.” 

The creature sniffs the ear; odd chirping sounds coming from its throat as Sokka inches forwards. “That’s a good rat-thing… stay nice and still for Sokka…” 

“Sokka! You found him!” 

The creature screeches, taking off behind Sokka as Aang comes running into view. “Aang! No! That’s my dinner!” Sokka cries, scrambling after the animal. 

Aang laughs as he runs beside Sokka. “No way, that lemur is gonna be my new pet!” 

“Not if I catch him first!” Sokka replies, swinging his club at the airbenders feet. Aang leaps over it before taking off at a ridiculous speed. 

“Sorry, Sokka!” Aang shouts behind him, and Sokka’s about to ask why he’s apologising when he suddenly trips on air, falling face-first into a snowbank. Judging by Aang’s laughter, Sokka assumes that wasn’t an accident. 

The lemur and Aang disappear around a corner, leaving Sokka alone on the ground. He sighs before crawling to his feet again, the adrenaline of fighting for his dinner working off his appetite, ironically enough. 

Sokka sprints for a few moments in their direction before accepting he’s never going to catch up to them. Better to just find them so they can all get out of here and find some real food. 

After finally seeing some footprints—and lemur tracks—in the snow, Sokka follows them into a crumbling building with fabric for walls. 

“Hey Aang, you catch my dinner yet?” Sokka asks lightheartedly. He pushes the fabric aside and steps in, immediately gasping at the sight. 

Over a dozen firebender corpses litter the ground, forming a small path to Aang’s hunched form. Sokka hears the boy let out a quiet sob, and sees the corpse Aang crouches before.

It’s an Air Nomad. 

“Aang…” Sokka whispers, taking a few steps closer. “I’m so sorry you had to find out like this.” 

“T-this was Gyatso…” Aang whispers through choked sobs, and Sokka bites his lip. He vaguely remembers Aang talking about someone named “monkey atso”, but he didn’t realise it was a person. A friend; someone Aang cared— _cares_ about deeply. Sokka can’t imagine losing someone like Bato. Unless of course, Gyatso was more of a parental-figure, in which case Sokka _can_ imagine what he’s going through.

“Aang, it’s gonna be alright,” Sokka starts, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

Aang stays silent, and Sokka bites his lip. He’s never been good at making people feel better, and he idly hopes Katara happens upon them. 

Suddenly, Aang’s tattoos begin to glow, and Sokka’s brow furrows. “Aang?” He asks quietly, taking a step back. “Are you-” 

The wind picks up violently around them, and Sokka shields his eyes from the dust and light Aang is giving off. 

“Aang!” Sokka shouts. “Aang, it’s okay!” A forceful gust blows Sokka backwards until he slams into a wall, the air knocked out of him. Sokka coughs a few times, recovering as dust and debris begin to pick up around him as the winds rage on. If Aang doesn’t calm down soon, Sokka will either get blown off the mountain or get concussed by a flying object. 

Katara suddenly appears, grabbing Sokka’s arm from behind him. “Sokka, what happened!?” 

“Aang found his friend, Gyatso! He knows the Fire Nation killed him!” Sokka shouts, ducking as some stones fly past his head. “Then, this happened!” 

“It must be his Avatar spirit!” Katara replies, turning towards Aang. “I’m going to try to talk to him!”

Even Sokka could think of a better plan than that, but before he can voice his concerns, Katara is already making her way towards Aang. 

“Hurry up before we get blown off the mountain!” He calls after her. Sokka ducks as a massive tree branch goes flying past him.

Katara doesn’t make it very far from the cluster of boulders Sokka’s hiding in, and as Aang begins to levitate a powerful gust of wind blows her back. Sokka catches her at the last second, saving her from flying over the cliffs edge behind them.

“Aang!” Katara calls out, grabbing onto some stable debris to pull herself closer. “Aang, I know you’re upset!” 

If Aang hears her, he doesn’t act like it. 

“I understand your pain!” Katara continues, shouting over the winds. “I experienced the same when I lost my mom!” Sokka ducks as something else flies over his head, the dust clouds too thick to see what’s what anymore.

“Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders might not be here anymore, but you still have a family!” Katara shouts from somewhere in front of Sokka. “We are your family now!” 

There’s a moment where nothing changes; the winds continue to blow violently around them, and Aang doesn’t move from his position above them. Then, it begins to calm. Aang lowers slowly to the ground, and as he does, the winds start to settle. 

Once his feet touch the ground, the chaos disappears, only the glow from Aang’s tattoos remaining. Sokka moves first, taking tentative steps towards the young boy.

“I’m sorry, Aang.” Sokka whispers, resting a hand on his shoulder again. Aang doesn’t start to float and airbend violently this time, and Sokka swears he feels him lean into the touch. “I’m so sorry...”

Katara steps forward, slipping her gloved hand into Aang’s. At the contact, the glow from Aang’s tattoos disappear, and he collapses gently into Katara. 

“I’m sorry,” Sokka hears him whisper. Katara shakes her head, pulling him in for a tight hug. 

“Aang, it’s okay,” Katara responds quietly. “We’re here for you.” 

Aang sighs, curling up to Katara and letting quiet tears roll down his cheeks. 

“If the Fire Nation made it here, that means they destroyed the other temples, too...” He mutters, and Sokka can feel his heart break. 

“Aang, I wish I could change it,” Katara replies, squeezing Aang tightly. “I’m so sorry that this happened.” 

Aang sighs, closing his eyes. 

“I really am the last Airbender…”

* * *

After Aang calmed down, Sokka took it upon himself to search the temple one last time for anything of use. He might have also been looking for the lemur from before; it was the least he could do for Aang. That lemur was probably one of the few things left of the Air Nomads. He came up empty-handed though, the lemur nowhere in sight. Aside from the books Sokka found, there really wasn’t anything left of the Southern Air Temple.

Luckily for Sokka, Aang was still excited to see the books.

“You found a library?!” Aang asks excitedly, practically begging Sokka to take him to it. After seeing the books though, Aang frowns. “Oh, that’s less exciting.”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of them?” Sokka asks curiously.

Aang shrugs. “That library was for learning to grow plants; I don’t think that will help us too much right now,” He replies, jumping up onto Appa’s head. “Besides, I’ve read most of the books there anyway, so you have all the knowledge right here!” He points to his head, smiling widely.

Sokka sighs, looking at the several books in his hands. “Why did I grab so many…?” He asks no one in particular. 

“I’m sure we’ll need at least one,” Katara says, grabbing two from Sokka’s arms. She packs them neatly into a bag before tossing it up to Appa’s saddle. 

Sokka gapes at her. “Katara! Those are delicate artifacts,” He protests. 

Katara puts her hands on her hips. “We just determined that Aang knows most of the information anyways, and you didn’t even seem to want them,” She counters, before turning to pack some more things away. Sokka rolls his eyes, putting the rest of the books down to stay at the Air Temple. He grabs the dictionary though, keeping it just in case. 

“Hey, is that a dictionary?” Aang asks, floating back down to Sokka. 

“Yeah, it’s Air Nomad to Earth Kingdom though,” Sokka replies, dusting off a spot that he missed. “I think it will be useful, but we can already communicate, so it's not really that important." 

"Well," Aang starts, glancing over the cover of the dictionary. "Maybe we'll find someone who only speaks Air Nomad? Someone who managed to..." Aang trails off, doubt clear in his tone of voice. Sokka rests a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look. Aang puts his hand over Sokka's, digging his foot into some snow absentmindedly. 

“They really changed in a hundred years, didn’t they?” Aang asks quietly, and Sokka sighs. 

“Yeah, they- hey!” Something pouncing on his shoulders catches Sokka off guard, and he spins around trying to grab whatever just jumped on him. “Get it off me!” 

“My lemur!” Aang exclaims, and Sokka feels the animal lifted off of him. “Hey, buddy!” 

Sokka glares at the creature sitting on Aang’s shoulders, before shifting his gaze to the lemur’s hands. “Is that…?” 

The lemur hops down from Aang’s shoulders to deposit the fruit in front of Sokka, hopping away quickly. 

Aang giggles. “Looks like he brought you a snack.” 

Sokka plops down in front of the fruit, hungrily shoveling some of it into his mouth before saying, “Thank you, almost-dinner,” through a mouthful of berries. 

“He’s so cute!” Katara says as she approaches. “What are you gonna name him?” 

The lemur leaps suddenly to grab a peach from Sokka’s hand, scurrying back to the safety of Aang’s shoulders to eat the stolen fruit. 

“I think Momo is good,” Aang replies with a smile.

Sokka rolls his eyes, grumbling, “ _How about_ ‘ _IniKunanngituk Tigiak_ ’...” 

“Sokka!” Katara hisses as she smacks his arm. Sokka sticks his tongue out and continues to eat the rest of his fruit.

Aang looks between the two of them. “What? What did he say?” He asks.

“He called Momo a mean name,” Katara replies with a scoff directed at Sokka, before smiling at Aang. “I love the name Momo, and I’m glad he’ll be joining us.” 

Aang beams at her before walking over to Appa, saying something to the bison in Air Nomad while gesturing to the lemur. Sokka watches for a moment before picking up the rest of his things. 

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” He calls out, tossing some more stuff into Appa’s saddle. “It’s getting late, and we probably want to figure out this Avatar stuff sooner than later.” 

“And waterbending stuff!” 

“Yes, Katara,” Sokka replies dryly. “Your magic water is important too.” 

“You’re right Sokka,” Aang replies, floating up to sit on Appa’s head. A sombre expression crosses his features, and he turns back to Sokka and Katara. “Thank you both for helping me. I’m really glad I met you.” 

“We’re glad we met you too, Aang,” Sokka replies, climbing into the saddle. He gives Katara a hand, helping her up as well before pointing to the sky. “Now come on, yip yip!” 

“You heard him, Appa! Yip yip!”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used: 
> 
> IniKunanngituk Tigiak- okay this is a literal translation so correct me if im wrong, but I intended to say 'ugly weasel' lol. I couldn't find a good word like 'thief' or 'rodent' so I worked with what I could find. (Inupiaq)
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a way that is more educational than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	6. The Warriors of Kyoshi Island: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a chilly reception at Kyoshi Island, Sokka gets cozy with one of the warriors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I literally was having so much fun writing this chapter, and then I checked the word count and was like ????? Okay, bitch calm down. This wasn't originally going to be a two-parter; I actually planned on cutting out a few scenes from the actual episode (which I'm still planning on doing) so that it /wouldn't/ be so long, but oop here we are LMFAO. 
> 
> Okay so BE WARNED: 
> 
> This chapter features many Japanese sentences that offer no translation until the very end, where I usually put them. Please don't be stressed out about this; you will NOT be missing out from the story. I've tried to make sure that most of what is said is understood through other means (body language, implied meanings), so you won't need to be checking back and forth between the endnotes and your place in the story. In the endnotes, I will put a little description as to where each sentence popped up. Also, this is written phonetically and NOT in Japanese characters. I figured that would be a little easier to read :3
> 
> ALSO When two characters speak to each other in their language, it will be written in italics. I'll still put "he/she/they said in [insert language]" but to really get the point across I've italicised those moments as well. I won't be doing this in previous chapters as of right now, but perhaps I'll get to it. Also, it will likely only be Sokka and Katara doing this because they're the only ones who speak water tribe really (or are they? heheheh) and it just makes sense that they'd do that when they want their conversation to be 'unheard'.

* * *

“ _Do you have any idea where you’re going?”_

_“I know it’s somewhere near water!”_

_“...We must be real close, then.”_

* * *

_Sokka’s travelling to-do list: Find a better map._

It had taken them nearly a full week to make it out of the Southern waters, and even then they were only just skirting the edges of the Earth Kingdom. Sokka had been getting increasingly frustrated with Aang’s frequent pit stops; the Airbender’s need to show off his animal-riding skills were getting less and less amusing. In the last pit stop, Aang had insisted on spending a full _two days_ trying to catch caribou-tigers so they could ride them. It hadn’t ended well and was not worth their time. 

So Sokka took it upon himself to control the map. Unfortunately for Sokka, that meant virtually nothing. The map Aang had was from a hundred years ago; faded and dated, and of no use to them. There wasn’t a whole lot to go off of, other than some blobby shapes colour coded to be the four nations. They needed a map from this century, so Sokka was more than happy to oblige in one last pit stop; if not to find a map, perhaps a dictionary and some directions.

Despite Sokka’s hopes for a useful pit stop, Aang seems to have other ideas.

“Hey Aang, you know the only reason I agreed to this was so we could find a map,” Sokka says as the Airbender starts to undress. 

“I know that,” Aang replies, shucking off his pants. “We’ll get to that after I ride the elephant-koi!” 

Sokka groans, rubbing one gloved hand over his face. “Aang, we can’t keep stopping for these weird animals. At this rate, we’ll be at the North by spring.” 

“Sokka’s right, Aang,” Katara chimes in from beside Appa. “I’m sure the elephant-koi are great, but if you want to master all the elements in time, we need to start taking this seriously.” 

Aang waves her off, doing a couple of short squats in his underwear. “I know my onions and banana’s, alright? Don’t worry about me.” 

“I- What?” Sokka asks. “Okay first of all, no more talking like a hundred-year-old man. Second, you do realise there’s a _war_ going on, right? One we need _you_ to stop?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Aang mutters with a wave of his hand. “Hey Katara, watch me!” 

Sokka sighs as the Airbender ignores him, taking a running jump into the water and swimming out further into the small lake before them. 

Sokka has to admit that where they’ve stopped is relatively peaceful, and quite lovely. Hills and mountains topped with snow surrounded them on the island, with plenty of trees Sokka has never seen before dotting themselves throughout the scenery. It’s late winter, so many of the trees are bleak and barren; Sokka can’t imagine how it would look in spring or summer. 

“Katara! Look!” Aang calls out from the middle of the lake. Sokka squints into the distance, seeing the small Airbender waving his arms around, before a _gigantic_ fish leaps out of the water. 

“Whoa! Are those the elephant-koi?” Katara gasps. “They’re huge!” 

Sokka nods, gaping at the massive fish swimming around with Aang. He’s heard stories of aquatic creatures that grow to be longer than a Fire Navy vessel, living deep under the southern ocean far away from sunlight. He’s never seen anything like _this_ though, and Sokka can’t deny it’s actually kind of cool.

Katara gasps again as Aang suddenly goes under the water before reappearing on the back of one of the fish. Two more show up, swimming in tandem with the one Aang rides on.

“Appa, no! Don't eat that!” Katara says before running off after the bison. Sokka watches her go before turning back to Aang and the elephant-koi, narrowing his eyes at a shadow under the water following the fish. 

As one of the three elephant-koi get pulled under, Sokka’s eyes go wide, and he starts waving his arms to Aang. 

“There’s something in the water!” He shouts as loud as he can. Katara returns at that moment, Momo flying beside her. 

“What’s going on?” She asks, and Sokka points to Aang. 

“Something even bigger than the elephant-koi is out there!” He exclaims, another fish disappearing beneath the surface as he speaks. 

Katara gasps, jumping up and down to catch Aang’s attention. “Aang, get out of there!” 

Sokka curses as the boy waves back, clearly unable to hear their concerns. “We have to do something, where’s Appa?” He asks, but before Katara can respond, the last fish is dragged under the water sending Aang flying.

“Oh, no!” Katara exclaims, biting her nails nervously. 

Sokka’s eyes go wide as an enormous fin surfaces out of the water, towering over the smallest mountain surrounding the lake. It casts a shadow over Aang, who finally notices the predicament he’s in, sending the boy running. 

Sokka has half a second to think about how cool it is that Aang can run on water, before the boy slams into him after safely reaching it to the shore. 

The two of them fly into a tree, and Sokka can already feel the bruises forming. _I_ _just got rid of the old ones!_ He couldn’t seem to catch a break with Aang. 

“What _was_ that thing?” Katara asks as she approaches. “It must have been over a hundred feet tall!” 

“I have no idea,” Aang admits, getting up to pull on his clothes. “It was cool, though!” 

Sokka groans, standing up and dusting off his anorak. “If by ‘cool’ you meant ‘absolutely terrifying’ sure, it was cool,” He says. “I say we hit the road before that thing decides-” 

Strong arms looping under Sokka’s armpits cut him off, dragging him back roughly and shoving his hood over his eyes.

“Hey-!” He shouts, trying to fight off the attackers, but they have him pinned in seconds; arms tied behind his back and blindfolded. He hears Katara and Aang suffer the same assault before he’s tossed unceremoniously onto the ground, sending a wave of pain through his bruised and battered body.

“ _What’s going on_?” Katara hisses to Sokka in Water Tribe. 

Sokka struggles against the rope. “ _I don’t know, did you catch a glimpse of the warriors?”_

_“No,”_ Katara replies, before yelping suddenly. 

“Don’t touch her!” Sokka shouts in Earth Kingdom. He’s suddenly manhandled as well, yanked up to his feet and shoved forwards, stumbling a bit before realising they want him to walk. 

“Sokka, Katara, I think-” Aang starts, but he cuts himself off with a grunt, and Sokka can only think he’s been gagged suddenly, or hit with something. 

After a few moments of walking blindly, Sokka’s shoved against what he believes to be a tree; forced to stay put while more rope is tied around him. He can feel Aang and Katara on either side of him, their elbows brushing against his, and feels grateful they at least weren’t separated. 

“Jibun jishin o setsumei suru!” A gruff voice calls out, and Sokka groans. _Great, another angry guy we can’t understand._ “Dō yatte watashitachi no shima ni tsukimashita ka?” 

“Watashitachiha yūkō-tekidesu,” Aang replies, and Sokka whips his head blindly in his direction.

“You can understand them!?” He hisses. “ _And_ you can speak to them?” 

“I guess,” Aang whispers back, sounding a little unsure of himself. “I don’t really know what language it is, though.”

“How can you not-” Sokka’s blindfold is removed quickly, and he blinks a few times as his eyes adjust to the sudden sunlight. 

Before him stands about a dozen young women, wearing heavy green dresses accented with thick black armour. Each woman bears a striking resemblance to each other thanks to their makeup; sharp and defining lines that make them look all the more intimidating. Reflective gold weapons sit under a ribbon around their waist, intricate designs along the parts Sokka can see. _Pretty small weapons if you ask me._

Sokka glances around the women briefly before frowning. “Where are the men that ambushed us?” He asks in Earth Kingdom. An older man stands with the women, but he couldn’t have done this himself. One of the female warriors marches up to him and grabs his anorak roughly, yanking him forwards until he can see the grey accents in her blue eyes. 

“What men?” She asks shortly. “ _We_ ambushed you.” 

Sokka frowns, glancing between the women once more. “There’s no way a bunch of _girls_ took us down.” He says with a chuckle, and the woman’s eyes narrow. 

She yanks him roughly by the collar. “The _unagi_ will eat well tonight,” She threatens.

Katara elbows him before saying, “Don’t hurt him! My brother is an idiot; he didn’t mean it.” 

“You could be Fire Nation spies,” Says the older man, stepping forwards. "State your business."

“We’re not, I promise,” Katara reassures. “We’re travelling with the Avatar; we mean you no disrespect.” 

At the mention of the Avatar, the warriors all gasp, and the one who grabbed Sokka points a finger at Katara. “Sono yōna koto ni tsuite jōdan o itte wa ikemasen!” She shouts.

“It’s not a joke!” Aang insists in Earth Kingdom. “I’m the Avatar.” 

The older man huffs in disbelief. “The Avatar has been dead for a hundred years,” He says before waving to the girls and walking away. “ _Unagi_ ni korera no orokamono o handan sa sete kudasai.” 

The weapons Sokka was initially unimpressed by are unsheathed by the girls as they step closer; the metallic sound they make giving Sokka a little bit of anxiety. They unfold into fans; beautiful in their design, dangerous with their sharp edges.

“Aang,” Sokka hisses. “Now would be a great time for an airbending trick!” 

On cue, Aang leaps out of the ropes and floats gracefully down before the female warriors, eliciting gasps from all of them. He then whips out two marbles, using airbending to spin them around in between his palms as he beams at them. 

“ _Whatever works, right?_ ” Katara mutters in Water Tribe. 

The older man hurries back, kneeling before Aang quickly. “Forgive me, Avatar. Please, understand I did not mean to insult you and your friends with my doubts about your return.” 

Aang rubs the back of his neck, putting the marbles away. “It’s okay, I understand,” He replies cheerfully. 

The man stands, bowing to all of them as the warriors untie Sokka and Katara. “I find it interesting that the spirits brought you here to Kyoshi island.” 

“This is Kyoshi island?!” Aang exclaims. “I know Kyoshi!” 

“Yes.” The man smiles. “This island and its warriors were founded by Avatar Kyoshi back in her time. You’ll find the island very peaceful; we’ve managed to stay out of the war for a century. That is why we were so wary of your presence at first.” 

Sokka rubs at his elbows, massaging the area where the ropes dug into his arm. “ _Great welcome party,_ ” He mutters, and Katara elbows him lightly. “Ow! _What, it’s not like they can understand me!”_

“ _Still, be nice,”_ She whispers back, and Sokka folds his arms with a pout. 

“Why is it that you've come to Kyoshi?” The man asks. “Avatar Roku should be guiding you, yes? Did he bring you here for a reason?"

Aang blushes lightly. “Yeah, he’s doing that," He says awkwardly. "I actually just wanted to stop by and ride the elephant-koi though.” 

“I see,” The man replies slowly. He nods to himself before clapping his hands together. “Well, please stay as long as you need to. We’ll have a room set up for you in the inn near the forest. Our village is just a little ways East.” He bows lowly before turning on his heel and walking away, the female warriors following after him. 

Once out of sight, Sokka claps a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Well, looks like you’re a real celebrity here,” He says. “Maybe you can get some deals on some of the stuff from the market.” He starts after the warriors, Aang and Katara falling into step beside him. 

“Aang, how did you know the language they were speaking?” Katara asks after a beat, and Aang shrugs. 

“I don’t know, I just kind of… knew,” He replies. “It felt weird speaking it as well. Like I was on autopilot or something. Maybe it's an Avatar thing.” Aang shrugs.

Katara smiles. “That’s pretty cool if you ask me. What were they saying?” 

Aang beams. “Well, they first asked us how we got here, then I told them we were friendly,” He says, debriefing Sokka and Katara on the parts of the conversation they couldn’t understand. Sokka’s not really listening though; he’s a bit bothered by the whole interaction if he’s honest with himself.

It was one thing to get beat up by a trained Fire Nation warrior. He expected that sort of thing, to some degree; Sokka, an untrained soldier, couldn’t expect to get very far against someone like that. A bunch of girls, though? There was something wrong there. The rules of being human were girls were weaker than boys. The boys did the hunting, fighting, and fishing, while girls did all the boring stuff like sewing, cooking, and cleaning. It didn’t sit right with him that he lost to them. 

_They did outnumber me._ They also caught Sokka off-guard with a sneak attack, which technically wasn’t fair. 

“Hey, Sokka,” Aang says, tugging at Sokka’s sleeve. “We’re gonna go find out where we're going to be staying, did you want to come?” 

Sokka looks up, realising they made it to the village already. It’s quaint; small buildings made out of wood with a market directly in front of him with people milling about.

“That's okay," Sokka replies. "Besides, we shouldn't be staying long anyway. We've wasted enough time today.” 

"We won't," Aang reassures. "But it would be rude not to accept their offer!"

Sokka sighs. “Well, you guys go on ahead then. I’m gonna check out the market to see if they have a map.” 

Aang grins, taking off in one direction and getting swarmed by a bunch of villagers. Katara scoffs before turning to Sokka. 

“Here, give me your coat,” She says, gesturing to his anorak. “It’s warm here, and if you’re going shopping, you’ll need free hands.” 

Sokka complies, shedding the thick garment and handing it over to her. She gives him their pathetically small money pouch in return, which he ties to his belt. “It’s a small enough village, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding us later,” Katara says, before frowning at him. “Are you okay? You seem down.” 

“I’m fine,” He replies curtly. "I just think we should get going as soon as possible."

Katara narrows her eyes at him for a second before smirking. “Is it because you got beat up by a bunch of girls?" She asks smugly. "Is that why you want to leave so badly?” 

“ _No._ " Sokka glares. "And even if I was—which I’m not—it’d be none of your business.” He turns from her and storms away quickly, whatever teasing comment she makes afterwards fading into the village's ambience. 

Sokka makes his way past food stall after food stall, looking for something that would have a map. It seems Kyoshi island has a surplus of edible stock though, as the only shops he's come across have been for fish, vegetable, and baked goods. He’s about to give up and settle on something to eat when a hand brushes by his belt, catching his attention. He whips around to see one of the Kyoshi warriors darting through the crowd, his money pouch in her hand. 

“Hey-!” He shouts, taking off quickly. “Come back here!” 

The warrior turns back to him with a smirk, taking a sharp left in between two houses and disappearing from view. Sokka curses under his breath as he follows, weaving through the crowds of people as fast as he can. 

After finally breaking through the crowds and taking the same left, Sokka sees that the warrior _actually waited for him_ , and once spotted, she takes off again into the forest. 

“Stop!” He shouts, chasing after her. “Come back!” His requests are futile, though, as the warrior continues to run away. A few times he thinks she’s slowing down so he can catch up, which is even more humiliating. 

Finally, the forest breaks away into a clearing with what appears to be a dojo in the centre, and Sokka watches the girl dart inside with his money pouch. He slows to a stop before following her, taking a quick second to catch his breath. From what he can see, there aren’t any other doors to the wooden building, and he doubts she’d jump through one of the windows to escape him. After recuperating, Sokka makes his way into the building, his eyes adjusting to the change in light. Inside, a mat covers most of the floor, and Sokka sees the rest of the Kyoshi warriors talking amongst themselves quietly. When they finally notice him approaching, a hush falls over them. 

“Give me my money back,” He demands once he's a few feet away. He stands as tall as he can—realising many of the warriors are of similar height to him—and tries to look as intimidating as possible. 

The girl who stole the pouch hands it off to the warrior that threatened him earlier, who then takes a few steps towards him with the pouch. She gives him a small smile before holding out his money with one hand, the other behind her back. 

Sokka eyes the pouch suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “What, just like that?” He asks, and the girl shrugs, fluttering her eyelashes. Sokka eyes her for a moment before reaching out a hand to grab his money.

He’s immediately assaulted. The warrior—who Sokka idly realises must be their leader—bends his arm backwards and throws him to the ground, pushing him face-first into the mat and holding him down. 

“Hey-! What’s your problem!?” He demands, struggling to free himself. 

“Anata wa mada on'nanoko ga otokonoko yori yowai to omoimasu ka?” She taunts, and Sokka scowls. 

“I can’t even understand you!” He complains, though, going off of her tone, Sokka assumes she's said something mean. “At least insult me to my face, coward!” 

The warrior releases him quickly, pulling him up and spinning him around to face her. She holds out her hand for him to shake and smirks at him. “I asked if you still think boys are stronger than girls.” 

Sokka narrows his eyes at her hand, crossing his arms over his chest. “Of course I do,” He says stubbornly. “If your friend didn’t tire me out before coming here, _you_ would have been the one on the floor.” 

The warrior turns to the girls, and they all giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Sokka asks them, annoyed by their secrecy. 

“Poor stamina?” The girl who led him here asks and the rest of the warriors giggle again. 

Another one chimes in, saying, “Kare wa kawaīdesuga, kare wa beddo de nagaku wa tsudzukanaideshou.” Some of the girls gasp and smack her arm lightly, their cheeks turning red under their makeup. 

“Okay look, I don’t know about you guys,” Sokka starts, pointing at the girls. “But it's considered a bit rude to talk about people like this. Don’t you know I’m friends with the-” 

The warriors’ leader grabs Sokka’s finger suddenly, bending his wrist back and bringing him to his knees; eliciting a non-manly yelp from him. 

“Friends with the Avatar won’t always help you,” She says with a smirk, releasing him for the second time. “Your attitude is ugly. You will need to work on that.” 

Sokka pouts, rubbing his wrist tenderly. If the Fire Nation soldier hadn’t broken it in the south, surely the Kyoshi warrior in front of him had done so just now; whatever she'd done to him _really_ hurt.

“Here is your money,” The warrior says, holding out the bag once more. Sokka glares at it, not trusting the warrior any more with his hands. 

“What?” She asks smugly. “You don’t want it?” 

“I do,” Sokka says bitterly. “I just don’t want to get hit for it.” 

The warrior smirks. “Then ask.” 

Sokka narrows his eyes at her. “I already asked for it, and then you hit me,” He says.

“No.” She shakes her head. “You demanded, and then you took.” 

“It’s mine! I have a right to my possessions!” 

The warrior shrugs at him, holding out the pouch expectantly, and Sokka looks between her smug smile and the pouch before sighing defeatedly.

“Can I please have my money back?” He asks begrudgingly and holds out his hand.

To his surprise, she places it delicately into his palm before bowing to him. Sokka blinks a few times, stunned for a moment as he watches the warrior turn back to the rest of the girls and begin some sort of slow dance routine.

Sokka clears his throat, tying the pouch back to his belt. The warriors’ leader glances back at him before saying something to the girls. They continue with the routine, and she turns to Sokka. 

“What do you want?” She asks, putting her hands on her hips. 

Sokka blinks, her intimidating presence blanking his mind. “Uh…“

“Don’t waste my time,” She says. 

“I wanted to say, uh,” Sokka starts, swallowing the lump in his throat. “You guys— _girls,_ fight… good?” 

The girl eyes him up and down briefly before smirking at him, turning on her heel and walking to some shelves over by the wall to his left. Sokka watches her pull out some paper and a charcoal stick, writing something down before approaching him again with the paper in hand. She holds it out for him, and Sokka reaches for it. 

She feints at him, making him flinch, before giggling and letting him take the paper with no disarming attacks. Sokka feels a small smile on his features, and he reads the paper she handed over. 

**あなたがバカになるのをやめることができれば、私はあなたと友達になりたいです。**

**-スキ**

  
  


He glances up at her, furrowing his brow. “Uh, you know I can’t read this, right?”

The girl smile widens, and she bows once more before turning back to the rest of the Kyoshi warriors. She joins in the routine, ignoring his presence from that point. A little confused, Sokka takes that as his cue to leave, set on finding Aang to help translate the note the warriors’ leader gave him.

* * *

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used:
> 
> 自分自身を説明する (Jibun jishin o setsumei suru): Explain yourself. (First statement by the old man interrogating our trio as they are tied to the Kyoshi statue) (Japanese)
> 
> どうやって私たちの島に着きましたか？(Dō yatte watashitachi no shima ni tsukimashita ka?): How did you get to our island (Second statement by the old man in the same scene) (Japanese)
> 
> 私たちは友好的です(Watashitachiha yūkō-tekidesu): We are friendly. (Aang's response to the old man's questions, Sokka immediately asks how he knows their language in this scene) (Japanese)
> 
> そのようなことについて冗談を言ってはいけません (Sono yōna koto ni tsuite jōdan o itte wa ikemasen): Don’t joke about that! (Suki's response to Katara saying they're travelling with the Avatar) (Japanese)
> 
> うなぎにこれらの愚か者を判断させてください(Unagi ni korera no orokamono o handan sa sete kudasai): Let the eel judge these fools (The old man's decision after Aang tries to reassure them that he is the Avatar) (Japanese)
> 
> あなたはまだ女の子が男の子より弱いと思いますか？(Anata wa mada on'nanoko ga otokonoko yori yowai to omoimasu ka?_: Do you still think girls are weaker than boys? (Suki's taunt to Sokka after pinning him to the ground, she does technically translate this herself in the fic but I thought I'd still put it down) (Japanese)
> 
> 彼はかわいいですが、彼はベッドで長くは続かないでしょう(Kare wa kawaīdesuga, kare wa beddo de nagaku wa tsudzukanaideshou): He’s cute, but he won’t last long in bed. (The comment made by one of the Kyoshi warriors after they mention his 'poor stamina' lmaooooo) (Japanese)
> 
> AS FOR SUKI'S LETTER: we'll get to know that in the next chapter >:3 but if you want to spoil yourself, google translate does a pretty good job with this one. I won't be taking questions tho lol, bc like i said it'll be explained next chapter
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	7. The Warriors of Kyoshi Island: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After grovelling on his knees, Suki takes Sokka on as a pupil. Sokka gets more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW long chapter whew. Obligatory 'Sokka/Suki will not be endgame pls bear with the fluff for now' because while they are indeed very cute, this is a zukka fic! 
> 
> Alright so minor dialogue spoiler:  
> if you get caught up with Sokka's apology, just skip to the end notes :)

_“It’s not about strength.”_

* * *

“Hey Katara, have you seen-” 

“Find him yourself!”

Sokka clamps his mouth shut as Katara storms towards him, violently gripping her basket of vegetables as if they’ve offended her. Not wanting to get in her way, Sokka steps to the side, idly wondering if it was the vegetables that got her so worked up. Once out of sight, Sokka lets out a breath, turning back to the market where Katara came from. 

The Kyoshi Warriors had some unorthodox methods of getting their point across, and while he would have taught himself a lesson another way, he was grateful they hadn’t let him get away with being sexist. Now he wanted to apologise in a meaningful way, which was why he wanted to find Aang. The Airbender apparently could understand Kyoshi Island’s language, through creepy Avatar powers, so perhaps he’d be able to help Sokka out. 

After glancing over the market and seeing no sign of the Airbender, Sokka walks further into the village to look for him elsewhere. It doesn’t take long; a group of about a dozen girls all swarm around the Avatar, grabbing at his shirt and hands, trying to all get a handful of him. Sokka has a feeling he knows whatever bothered Katara had something to do with Aang.

“Hey, Sokka!” Aang says when he spots Sokka waving to him, and Sokka has to hold back a laugh as the young Airbender tries to maneuver his way toward him with his army of fangirls surrounding him.

“Isn’t this place great?” Aang asks once he’s in front of Sokka.

Sokka rubs his elbow, still sore from the number of times the Kyoshi Warriors humiliated him. “You could say that,” He replies weakly. “Look, can I talk to you for a second? I need your help with something.” 

“Sure, what do you need?” Aang asks with a grin. Sokka shifts uncomfortably as a dozen pairs of eyes all look up at him, and luckily Aang seems to notice. He looks at his little entourage, speaking to them quietly. 

“Tomodachi to hanashite mo īdesu ka?” The girls nod in response but don’t make any attempt to leave. After a beat, Aang rubs the back of his head, sheepishly muttering, “...Hitori de?” 

Whatever he’s said causes the girls to pout and begin whining about something Sokka can’t understand, turning and storming away from the two of them. 

“Well, Aang,” Sokka says smugly once the girls are out of earshot. “You sure seem to be enjoying yourself.” 

“I sure am!” Aang replies happily. “Everybody loves me here, it’s great!”

Sokka rolls his eyes. “Good to see you’re still just a ‘simple monk’.” 

“Funny,” Aang says with a slight frown. “Katara said the same thing.” 

_Bingo_. Sokka’s just figured out the beef between the two of them. 

Sokka clears his throat. “Anyway, I just need you to translate this for me,” He says, taking the note out from under his belt. He hands it over to Aang, who takes it happily. “Then there’s something else, but if you can’t do it, that’s okay.”

Aang nods and begins to read, a small smile forming on his face as he does. By the end of the letter he’s giggling, and Sokka can feel the blush creeping up his cheeks. 

“What does it say?” He asks eagerly, and Aang grins at him. 

“It says, ‘If you can stop being stupid, I want to be friends with you’.” He giggles a second time. “Who gave this to you? They signed it with ‘Love’.” 

Sokka’s cheeks are entirely on fire. “W-wait, ‘with love’? Let me see that!” Sokka takes the note back, reading it over as if he can understand it. 

“No, no.” Aang shakes his head. “They signed it with their _name_ ‘Love’. That’s a really pretty name, who is it?” 

Sokka blinks as he tries to recall whether or not the warrior gave him her name. “Well it’s- uh, complicated, and I don’t think that’s her name anyway.” Sokka clears his throat. “Are you sure that’s what it says?” 

Aang shrugs. “I don’t know,” He admits. “I’ll be honest with you Sokka, this is all Avatar stuff, and I know how you feel about Avatar stuff.” 

Sokka nods. He does have some pretty strong feelings about Avatar stuff. “Well, thanks for translating it for me.” He pulls out a stick of charcoal that he picked up from the room they were staying in. “Do you think your Avatar powers could write something down in the same language?” 

“Sure!” Aang exclaims, taking he charcoal. “What’s it for?” 

Sokka sighs. “I need to apologise to the Kyoshi Warriors.” 

“Because they beat you up?” Aang asks innocently, and Sokka feels his cheeks turn red again. 

“No! I mean- maybe, but that doesn’t matter,” He says. “I just want to be able to say a few things to them in their language.” 

Aang smiles. “That’s cute, Sokka,” He starts. A small frown forms on his face. “But you know you won’t be able to read it, right?”

Sokka blinks. He hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe just write it… phonetically?” He asks. “Like, how it sounds?”

Aang taps the charcoal to his chin thoughtfully, leaving a little black mark. “Yeah, we can try that!" He responds cheerfully. “I just wish I knew more about Water Tribe; maybe I’d be able to make it easier for you.” Sokka shrugs, relaying his intended message and watching Aang scribble some characters down. Afterwards, he spends another minute writing some letters down for Sokka before handing the note back over.

“This should be easy enough,” Aang says happily, and Sokka reads it over. It's easy enough, though Aang appears to have written almost a paragraph of words; way longer than Sokka's message.

“Isn’t this a little long?” He asks and looks up to see Aang’s tiny army swarming the Airbender once again.

“Sorry Sokka, I should probably go,” Aang says while being dragged away. “Good luck with Love!” 

Sokka shakes his head with a smile as Aang gets whisked away, turning on his heel to walk back towards the dojo. With his apology in hand, Sokka’s feeling a little more confident showing his face around the Kyoshi Warriors again. As much as Katara liked to call him a meat-head, and as much as he totally was one, he knew when he’d made a mistake. He’d underestimated the girls because they were girls; he knows now that he should have treated them like warriors.

Sokka spends the whole walk to the dojo practicing the translation Aang gave him. He definitely can’t read it at average speed, but he’s pretty impressed with his progress once he makes it to the wooden building. After pacing outside the dojo to practice a little longer, he kicks himself mentally, realising he should’ve asked for a bit more help from Aang; most of the words look like nonsense, and there’s a very good chance he’ll say them wrong. _Of course, the self-doubt hits now._

Mustering up as much confidence and courage as he can, Sokka steps into the dojo, his fingers already shaking as he grips the paper tightly. The Kyoshi Warriors are practicing their routine again, and when Sokka clears his throat, they all look up at him in surprise. Their leader, the one who gave him the note, stands up straight and steps toward him, smirking lightly.

“Back for more?” She asks, and Sokka laughs weakly. 

“W-well, not really, I- uh… I have something to say,” Sokka stammers out. He takes a deep breath, getting to his knees in a low bow before beginning to slowly and shakily read the message.

“Um, S-Sumimas- _e_ n? Watashi, uh, wa tot _e_ mo oroko—oro _ka_ dashita.” Sokka swallows another lump in his throat, feeling the girls’ eyes on him as he speaks. It’s gone deathly quiet in the dojo, and Sokka swears he can feel his heart beating.

“Anata ga watashi, uh, ga anata no yōna s-s _e_ nshi ni, uh, naru no o t _e_ tsudatte karatara—no, sorry… _kure_ tara, uh kō—uh, kō _e_ idesu?” He glances up nervously and sees the girls all smiling down at him. A smile of his own creeps upon his features and Sokka mentally thanks Aang for his special Avatar powers, finishing the message in full confidence. 

“Mata, watashi wa kyo… kyodaina sarud _e_ su.” 

Sokka looks up proudly, feeling pretty impressed that he managed all of that, but when he sees the girls’ faces his smile drops. They’re looking at him with a mix of shock and amusement, and Sokka doesn’t know which is worse. 

After a beat of silence, however, every girl in the dojo bursts out laughing. 

“I’m, uh, sorry,” He says as they laugh. “I don’t know your language well, and I literally _just_ practiced-” They all laugh harder, and Sokka wishes someone would earth bend him into the ground.

“No, no,” The leader interrupts, hiding her smile with her hand. “What you said was... beautiful.” She snickers. “Do you know what you said?”

Sokka’s cheeks burn brightly. “Uh, I-I’m not sure anymore.” He rubs the back of his neck, glancing down at the note. “This wasn’t the intended reaction.” 

The girls’ giggles die down, and their leader crouches in front of him, gesturing to the note. Sokka shows it to her, pouting a little as she reads it and begins to giggle again. 

“Did someone write this for you?” She asks, and Sokka nods, eliciting an amused smile from her. “They were playing with you.” 

Sokka’s brow furrows, and he looks up at the note quickly. “Wait, give me that,” He asks, and she hands it over. Sokka scans it over a few times before looking back up. “What does it say?” He _knew_ it was a little lengthy for his intended message. 

The girl smiles. “You said you are sorry, and that you want help to become a warrior,” She says, and then bites her lip. “But you said you are a giant monkey, too.” 

Sokka’s jaw drops before he screws up his features in frustration, folding his arms as he glares down at the floor in front of him. _Of course_ , Aang would do something like that. He had only known the kid for a few days, but Sokka knew how much he liked to do childish stuff like this. Aang _was_ a child, after all. 

The girl’s fingers brush under Sokka’s chin lightly, encouraging him to lift his head, and he feels another blush creep up his cheeks for an entirely different reason. 

“Your apology is accepted, and we will train you,” The Girl says softly, and Sokka beams. “You have to follow _all_ of our rules, though.” 

Sokka nods. “Of course, I’ll do anything.” 

The girl turns back to the rest of the warriors with a smirk, and they all giggle amongst themselves. 

Sokka makes a mental note to stop talking so much.

* * *

Sokka had learned several things after apologising to the Kyoshi warriors. He learned that their leader was named Suki, which more-or-less meant ‘love’, explaining the ending of the note she gave him. Sokka thought it was a beautiful name, and it very much suited its owner. 

He also learned that the Kyoshi warriors had a rigorous way of teaching. For one thing, they rarely ever taught boys; something he found ironic considering his thoughts prior to joining. They also had training schedules that lasted up to six hours at a time. Suki informed Sokka that they’d only go as long as he wanted to, but a minimum of four hours would be optimal if he could take it. Sokka had reassured her that he’d be fine to last that long, eliciting more giggles from the other girls. 

Suki then explained that Avatar Kyoshi formed the Kyoshi warriors. She not only strove to empower women through physical might; she created the language they used so that women could write their own history. Sokka found it all fascinating and was excited to learn something so exclusive, with such a powerful idea backing it. 

Of course, then, Suki had told him what he had to wear. 

“Do I… really have to wear this?” Sokka balls up the fabric in his hands, releasing it and watching it clump around his feet. Not only does it feel bulky and impractical, it feels a little… girlie. 

“You are wearing a warriors uniform,” Suki responds curtly. “I thought you wanted to become a warrior?” 

“I do,” Sokka reassures. “I just-” 

Suki gestures to the dress with one fan, cutting him off. “The silk thread of your uniform represents the brave blood that flows through our veins.” She points to the gold accents, particularly the symbol printed on the arm guard; the late afternoon sun illuminating it softly. “The gold insignia represents the honour of the warrior’s heart.” 

“And the makeup?” Sokka asks dejectedly. Suki smacks his arm with her fan. “Okay, okay! It’s all-important, and I should be proud.” He grumbles a little about feeling like a girl, which earns him another smack.

Suki gets into an offensive stance, signalling that their training has begun. 

“Let’s begin.” 

* * *

Back home, Sokka practiced being a ‘warrior’ with six-year-olds who needed frequent potty and snack breaks. He was used to the one being in charge, while also getting some reluctant breaks now and then. The Kyoshi Warriors were the exact opposite; Suki was the one in control, not that he really minded, and he was only allowed a break at sunset. He minded that part.

While challenging, Sokka came to appreciate their methods in battle. What he’d once considered ‘dance routines’ were actually an intricate way of fighting. He could see the practicality in their movements and how they aided the warriors against an attacker bigger than them. Suki flowed around Sokka when he lunged, throwing him over her shoulder or spinning him in a circle until he collapsed from the dizziness. Sokka appreciated the hard work, but he was also grateful Suki had told the rest of the warriors to leave the dojo prior to their training. It somehow felt less embarrassing to make a fool of himself in front of only _one_ pretty girl. 

“Chigau!” Suki barks as he misses another opening. Sokka grits his teeth and repositions himself, lunging forward with the fan in his hand. Suki dodges easily, flipping him onto his back. “Anata wa motto umaku yareru! Okiru!”

Sokka groans as stands up slowly, his body still a bit sore from being slammed into a tree with Aang. “I’m going to pretend that you’re being nice to me,” He mutters as gets back into position. 

Suki glances at the door, the darkness of evening spilling into the dojo. “One more after this, then we will rest. Are you ready?” She asks as she turns back to Sokka. “I’m going to attack you; try to block me.” 

Sokka nods, shifting his footing a little as Suki circles around him. Her words from earlier in the session ring throughout his mind: _It’s about using your opponent’s force against them._ Sokka takes a deep breath, rooting himself firmly in place as he waits for her attack. After a beat, Suki lunges at him, and in a quick movement, Sokka blocks her, knocking her to the ground skillfully. Suki grabs his hand as she falls, and Sokka winces as it bends the wrong way. 

Suki gasps, getting to her feet quickly. “Are you okay!?” She exclaims. Sokka cradles the wrist for a moment before waving her off. 

“It’s fine, you didn’t do anything,” He reassures. “I think I just sprained it a week ago or something, so it’s a little sensitive.” 

Suki frowns at him. “You were fine to fight me before; I would have sparred differently if I knew you were injured,” She counters. “I might have really hurt you, let me see.” 

Sokka tries to stop her from fussing over him, but Suki is determined, forcing Sokka to sit on the mat with her as she takes off his gloves and arm guards. When his arm is bare, Sokka hears her let out a quiet gasp. 

“What? Is it serious?” He asks. As he peers over her fingers to see the damage, Sokka’s eyes widen. Instead of the red and swollen wrist he was expecting, Sokka’s met with dark, curvy lettering printed neatly on his skin.

**สุโก้**

“You… have a soulmate,” Suki whispers, her fingers hovering over the mark. Sokka’s surprised she saw it; with the lanterns within the dojo offering minimal light, Sokka would have easily missed it; in the late hours of the day, the dark characters blend into his skin tone seamlessly.

“I didn’t know I had one,” He mutters, pulling his wrist closer to inspect it. His gaze flicks to Suki briefly. “Is it, uh…” Sokka struggles to find the right way to ask her if it’s her name. He’s never seen writing like that before, and from what he can remember, Suki wrote her name a little differently on the note she gave him. 

“It’s not mine,” Suki responds quietly, before stripping her arm guard and glove to show him her bare wrist. There’s a beat of silence between them before Suki clears her throat. 

“How long have you know?” She asks quietly. Sokka tries to meet her gaze, but the young warrior seems far too fascinated with the mat they’re sitting on to return it.

“I- as long as you, really,” Sokka replies, gaze flicking back to the mark. “I don’t even know what it says.” 

Suki inspects it once more before frowning. “I’m unfamiliar with it as well.”

“I don’t even know who they are,” Sokka says idly. He thinks back to everyone he’s met since leaving the south, but none of them really stand out to him. There was a pretty interesting tribe near the caribou-tigers that he spoke too, and some of the villagers on Kyoshi Island had seemed interested in him. The only person Sokka could picture at this moment was Suki, but she already said it wasn’t her. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Suki replies, and Sokka snaps his gaze to hers. She’s looking at him with pity. 

“Why are you sorry?” He asks with a frown. 

Suki returns the frown. “Missing your soulmate is… is comparable to _death_. You may never find them again,” She says gravely. “There are stories of people who go mad trying to find their soulmates. It’s almost impossible once you’ve missed your first meeting.”

“Huh.” Sokka glances down at the name. “I guess that sounds pretty unfortunate?”

“It’s more than unfortunate,” Suki insists, giving him a puzzled look. “Aren’t you devastated that you missed them?” 

Sokka thinks about it for a second before shaking his head. “Not really.” He shrugs. “I don’t really care much for soulmates.”

Suki gapes at him before gesturing to his wrist. “How can you not? You have one!”

Sokka sighs and looks down at the mark, thinking briefly of his mother. “It’s a long story,” He whispers, turning his wrist face down. “It’s not like it matters anyway, I don’t even know who they are. If I’ve missed them, they’re gone.” 

Suki hums softly before resting her hand gently over his. “Do you… want to find them?” She asks quietly. Sokka glances up at her to see her staring intensely at him. The dojo lanterns illuminate her features, creating a beautiful sparkle in her eyes that entrances Sokka.

“Not really,” Sokka whispers. He watches Suki’s eyes flit down to his lips briefly. 

“Would you be happy enough without them?” She whispers back, and Sokka nods slightly, feeling himself lean in a little bit. 

“I’m happy right now,” He responds, and Suki smiles, a little laugh coming out of her mouth. She’s so close he can feel the heat of her breath on him. She doesn’t say anything after that, her eyes fluttering closed instead, closing the gap between them.

“Firebenders have landed on our shores!” A booming voice interrupts, and Sokka jumps, knocking his head into Suki’s. “We need your help!” 

Sokka massages his forehead, wincing at Suki who’s already on her feet. He’s about to ask her how she’s already recovered when his eyes flick to her brass headband. _Of course._

“Let’s go!” She exclaims, pulling Sokka up from the mat. Sokka has about a million questions running through his head as he follows, his heart still beating wildly in his chest. He knows there are more critical manners at hand, such as how Firebenders made it to Kyoshi after leaving them alone for so many years, but all Sokka can think is, _were we about to kiss?_

After making it to the village, Suki pulls Sokka behind a building and crouches down. Sokka crouches beside her, and from here they have a clear view into the street. He can see that most of the villagers have evacuated, Firebenders patrolling the streets with torches in hand.

“You stay here,” Suki whispers to him. “The rest of the warriors know what to do; they’re waiting for my mark.” 

“I can help, just tell me what to do,” Sokka whispers back. Sokka hears a few Firebenders call out for the Avatar, adding more questions to his list.

Suki bites her lip. “Can you fight?” She asks. Sokka opens his mouth to reply, but she shakes her head, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Can you _really_ fight? These are trained soldiers; they won’t go easy on you like I did.” 

“Hey-!” Sokka starts. Suki shushes him by placing a finger over his lips.

“I want you and the Avatar to get away from here,” She says to him. “We know what they want; they won’t stay long if you leave. We’ll be able to hold them off.” 

Sokka frowns. She wants him to leave? He can’t leave knowing they’d be here to defend the Fire Nation alone. “I want to stay and fight with you.” 

“No, Sokka.” She bites her lip again before leaning in quickly, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Sokka squeaks, not expecting the kiss, before closing his eyes and leaning into it. He breathes in, the smell of her hair overwhelming his senses, and all Sokka can think about are the peaches from the Southern Air Temple. 

It’s over quicker than it began; Suki pulls back quickly and rests a gloved hand on his cheek. “I’ll see you again.” She whispers.

“Wait,” Sokka starts as she stands up. He has to say something meaningful to her. Suki turns back to him, her lips moving as she says something, but the sound is lost as something explodes in the street beside them. Sokka stands up to help Suki steady herself, but the Kyoshi Warrior already has her fans out, ready to dart into battle.

“Go!” She shouts at Sokka, and quickly darts away from their hiding spot and into the street. Despite her warning about the soldiers, Sokka follows her. He doesn’t know where Aang or Katara are, and he can’t just sit around and wait for them. He has to fight.

“Avatar!” Someone shouts, and Sokka whips his head around to see four Firebenders riding in on giant monstrous beasts, beasts Sokka’s never seen before in his life. They’re comparable to a polar bear-dog, with thick limbs and oversized heads. Their tails are longer, whipping around and destroying boxes and barrels behind them. Metal armour protects their thick and scaly skin, as well as a faceplate that leaves room for their three ugly horns.

Sokka watches the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors reveal themselves, taking out a few Firebenders a series of brief attacks. With their riders disarmed and thrown from their saddles, the beasts charge out of view, leaving the soldiers defenseless. 

A figure catches Sokka’s eye, and he sees Suki sprint towards the last rider, leaping into the air gracefully to kick him off the saddle. In the blink of an eye though, the beast turns on Suki, using its powerful tail to knock her down. 

“No!” Sokka exclaims, running into the fight. He slides in front of Suki, whipping out one of his fans to deflect a fire blast from the soldier. The soldier scowls, and Sokka widens his eyes at the familiar scar hidden just underneath the helmet. _He followed us all the way from the south?!_

Before the soldier can attack, another Kyoshi warrior jumps down from the rooftops, knocking him off his saddle. Sokka takes the opportunity to help Suki to her feet, only to find her already running towards the soldier. 

“Suki, wait-!” Sokka starts, and she turns on him swiftly. 

“Get out of here; we’ll be okay!” She shouts. “Find the Avatar and leave!” 

At the mention of the Avatar, the soldier turns on Suki, blasting fire at her that she easily dodges. With the helmet gone, Sokka confirms that this is the same angry jerk who attacked the south pole. 

“Sokka!” Someone calls from behind him. “Let’s go!” He recognises the voice as Katara and hears Appa growl in the distance.

Sokka hesitates, glancing between Suki and the soldier before making a last-minute decision to run in to help. He can hear Katara yelling at him, but it’s too late; he’s made his choice. 

The soldier kicks up fire, blasting the Kyoshi warriors back before Sokka can get there in time. Sokka whips one of his fans at him, missing horribly, but it catches the soldiers attention enough to inspire him to start charging at Sokka, rather than finish off Suki and the other warriors. As the soldier runs, Sokka roots himself in place, ready to use his opponent’s force against him. 

At the last second, the soldier visibly hesitates. Sokka sees a strange look pass over his face and realises all too late that he’s missed his opportunity to deflect the attack. Instead of using his opponent’s force against him, his opponent forcibly crashes into Sokka, and they both go tumbling to the ground. 

“Sokka!” Katara cries for a second time, and Sokka struggles to push the soldier off of him. “Get off him!” 

A blast of air knocks the two of them aside, so it’s Sokka on top of the soldier, and he takes the opportunity to get up. He sees Aang and Katara on Appa, fighting off a swarm of soldiers with the rest of the Kyoshi warriors. 

“Sokka, go!” Suki shouts from his right, and Sokka sees her duck past him, ready to get into battle once more. He doesn’t hesitate this time, running towards his ticket out of here. 

He doesn’t make it far; the soldier on the ground grabs his ankle before he can run, and Sokka falls face-first into the street with a thud. 

“Get off me!” Sokka shouts, kicking his leg back. While the Kyoshi Warrior outfit is practical in some sense, it’s tough to shake off the soldier while wearing a huge frumpy dress. “Aang!” 

Sokka turns back to the soldier with a glare, but when he sees the expression on the other’s face, his brow furrows in confusion. The soldier looks… confused? As if he himself doesn’t know why he’s grabbed onto Sokka. _I mean really, what good am I compared to the Avatar?_

“Sokka, grab my hand!” Someone shouts, and Sokka looks up to see Appa flying towards them, Aang hanging off the bottom of one of his massive legs, hand outstretched. Sokka kicks the soldier one last time, effectively freeing himself and grabbing Aang’s hand at the same time. 

“Klạb k̄hụ̂n reụ̄x!” Someone shouts as they fly away from the village. Aang tosses Sokka up to the saddle where he lands with another hard thud, before swinging himself up to the reins.

Once settled, Sokka wipes off his makeup with his anorak, briefly glancing down at the Kyoshi uniform he still wears. At least he’ll have something to remember Suki by. 

“Aang,” Sokka hears Katara mutter as she crawls up to the front of the saddle. “You did the right thing. They’ll leave Kyoshi alone now that we’re gone.” 

“Yeah, we should think twice about where we land from now on,” Sokka adds on. Katara shoots him a look, clearly trying to cheer Aang up, before Aang suddenly jumps off Appa and into the lake below them. 

“Aang, what are you doing!?” Katara calls after him. Sokka leans over the edge of the saddle to watch the boy go under the water. After a beat, Sokka idly wonders if Aang was just trying to end it all over the guilt of leaving the village behind when he suddenly resurfaces on the back of the massive water creature from before. 

“No way!” Katara exclaims as Aang uses the sea serpent to extinguish the flaming village. Sokka hears her climb over the saddle to the reins, steering Appa back toward the town to collect Aang. As they get closer, Appa catching Aang as they fly by, Sokka scans the village desperately. In the distance, Sokka swears he sees a certain brunette in a Kyoshi uniform waving at him, and at this point, he’ll take it; smiling widely and waving back as Appa flies them away. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used:  
> THE NOTE  
> あなたがバカになるのをやめることができれば、私はあなたと友達になりたいです。-スキ: If you can stop being stupid, I want to be friends with you. -Love (suki) (Japanese)
> 
> สุโก้: So there is no direct translation for this and if you use google it will say 'suko' or something, BUT please note I translated Zuko's name from the show and how it's written there, into Thai. 
> 
> SOKKA'S APOLOGY:  
> Okay quick mention about his apology, I very purposefully wrote it to be as hard to read as possible. I was going through the Inupiaq IPA and apparently, they don't really have an 'e' vowel? They have 'i' which reads as 'ee' from 'knee', but no actual 'e' (they also have 'i' as in 'e' from 'bed'). SO I came to the conclusion that Sokka would have SUCH A HARD TIME figuring out how to read the translation Aang gave him for multiple reasons, AND because of the 'e' vowel. You may have noticed that all the letter e's were italicised; that is intentional! It just means Sokka's /almost/ pronouncing it right :) Suki understood it though <3  
> すみません、私はとても愚かでした(Sumimasen, watashi wa totemo orokadeshita): I’m sorry, I was very stupid.  
> あなたが私があなたのような戦士になるのを手伝ってくれたら光栄です。(Anata ga watashi ga anata no yōna senshi ni naru no o tetsudatte kuretara kōeidesu.): I would be honoured if you helped me become a warrior like you.  
> また、私は巨大な猿です(Mata, watashi wa kyodaina sarudesu): Also, I’m a giant monkey  
> (All Japanese ^)
> 
> SUKI TALKING TO SOKKA WHILE TRAINING:  
> 違う! (Chigau): Wrong!  
> あなたはもっとうまくやれる! (Anata wa motto umaku yareru): You can do better!  
> 起きる！ (Okiru!): Get up!  
> (All Japanese ^)
> 
> กลับขึ้นเรือ! (Klạb k̄hụ̂n reụ̄x!): Back on the boat! (Spoiler, it's Zuko shouting at his crew to get back on the ship to go after the Avatar)  
> (Thai)
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	8. The Winter Solstice: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka has a strange experience in the spirit world, and after barely any time to recover, the team sets off into the Fire Nation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY WOW so first of all, thank you for all the love, seeing the hit count on this story climb higher than I've ever had on a fic really makes me happy :') I love you all. 
> 
> WE HAVE A FEW IMPORTANT THINGS:  
> So, as pointed out to me by one of you lovely readers, (Planteria), I've been pretty generous with the 'Sokka and Katara can't read' trope, and I've made some very minor changes to chapters 5 and 6. There were some scenes between Aang and Sokka where they talk about his inability to read basic Earth Kingdom, and I've adjusted them accordingly to the following:  
> Sokka and Katara CAN, in fact, read. I definitely made the mistake of taking an idea too far lol, so while they would have difficulties reading some phonetics and whatnot in /other/ languages (because some letters and sounds don't always translate to other languages), it's not fair to assume they wouldn't be able to read in the two languages they're fluent in LMFAO. You can go back and read these changes if you'd like, but they're incredibly minor and don't last more than one dialogue exchange :) 
> 
> Also, you may have noticed that I skipped two episodes, The King of Omashu and Imprisoned. The King of Omashu was originally a part of this fic, but it felt like I was dragging through it. The whole point of that chapter was going to emphasize Aang's ability to pick up new languages and his past relationships, as well as him showing his age a little lol, but it wasn't long enough to really call it a chapter. As for imprisoned, I'm not fond of that episode much, and I ran into the same issue. (one could argue that I could have mashed them together, but it just wasn't working). 
> 
> Last thing: I'll be adding the language of the 'non-English words used' section that I put in the endnotes. I've adjusted previous chapters to reflect this change.
> 
> SO please enjoy part one of The Winter Solstice (sorry it's so short uwu)! I'll try not to add too many two-parters. Bear with me pwease, because, after part two of this one, you can expect a Zuko POV chapter >:3

* * *

  
  


_“We’re not letting you go into the Fire Nation, Aang.”_

_“At least not without your friends. We got your back.”_

* * *

Sokka’s dreaming. 

He has to be; they left Suki on Kyoshi Island over a month ago, and yet, she’s here. Dancing in front of him, her lips moving as she says something on repeat, something he can’t hear. 

He’s never had a dream as colourful as this. The sky is as bright as the sun, with iridescent glitter streams falling from the clouds; pooling around him like a puddle of stars. It’s warm and hazy, Sokka’s never felt heat like this before. It wraps around every part, every fibre of his being; enveloping him inside and out. Where is he? Sokka can’t remember for the life of him. 

A whisper in his mind filters through the air, working its way through his thoughts to say, _‘the spirit from the forest’_ , and he remembers. 

Sokka went to help Aang, and the beast killed him. Or… didn’t kill him? The spirit dragged him away, but he can’t remember anything after that. He can still hear Katara’s voice yelling at him to stay put. How long has he been here? 

Moving is as difficult as remembering. Taking a step forward gives Sokka a rolling shutter effect; the movement repeating until he’s so dizzy he can’t see anymore. His arms feel as heavy as if he was carrying two animal carcasses in each hand. His head swims, lolling dangerously on his shoulders, while simultaneously not moving at all. 

“ _Koi no yokan_ ,” Suki whispers to his left, her voice as soft as he remembers, if a little muffled. He turns toward her, impossibly slow, and sees her twirling and dancing gracefully in her heavy armour. _How can she move so effortlessly?_ He thinks. Here, it’s warm. Here, the thought of moving sends the heaviest feeling throughout his body. _Stay put_ , says the world around him. _Don’t move_.

Something catches his eye, something in the sky. He turns and sees the moon, descending toward him. It shifts and turns until it forms a mouth, a beautiful pair of lips mottled with the craters of the celestial rock. It whispers the words thank you repeatedly to him, before turning to Suki and kissing her. The moon lips laugh, a tinkling sound that carries toward him like a butterfly. 

They dissolve into smoke before him, floating away into the trees that burn to his left. It’s a forest, perhaps the forest from before. He sees Fire Nation soldiers parading inside the flames, dancing as their armour melts into white-hot puddles around them. They cry and scream in agony, the sound distant to him as if he were inside a bubble.

Someone taps Sokka’s shoulder, spinning him around. It’s a boy, about his age, with a familiar scar on one side of his face. Dark, long hair hides his eyes, but Sokka knows that he’s fearful. He speaks quickly, but it’s not something Sokka can understand.

Sokka opens his mouth to ask something when the boy shakes his head. He lights his hand on fire. Sokka feels the pain as if it were his own, though he doesn’t scream. It barely reaches him, really, from inside the bubble. 

_The bubble?_ Sokka blinks for what feels like the first time. Where is he? How did he get here? The helpful voice from before reminds him not to worry, that the spirit brought him here. _Where is here?_

“ _Sokka,_ ” Suki whispers from nowhere. Sokka could listen to her forever; her voice is so calming. She repeats his name, louder this time, the sound as muffled and distant as the soldiers in the forest. The boy yells something at him, his own name perhaps? Sokka’s name? Whatever it is, he’s screaming, screaming so loud Sokka can almost hear it. The familiar voices don’t seem so calm anymore. 

Suki appears once more, her delicate and dangerous fan positioned in between her lips. She leans towards him, and Sokka finally sees the barrier. 

The bubble pops. 

Sokka wakes up. 

* * *

“Sokka!” Katara cries as she runs towards him. “Are you okay?” 

Sokka blinks and looks around, the warmth from before taken from him, like a blanket torn away. Katara’s hugging him, grounding him to reality as he looks around. 

“I am now,” he replies, a little unsure if that’s the right answer. “What happened?” 

“The angry spirit trapped you in the spirit world for twenty-four hours,” Katara says, concern written all over her features. “How are you feeling?” 

Sokka frowns. He felt like he really needed to pee. “Uh,” He starts. “I’ll tell you in a minute.” 

* * *

After emptying his bladder, and contemplating what happened in the spirit world, Sokka finds his friends again, standing before the people of Senlin village. 

“How may we repay you Avatar?” The village leader asks. Sokka never did catch any of their names. “Your service to us cannot go unrewarded.” 

“Some supplies would be nice,” Sokka answers. “And some money.” 

Katara smacks his arm, giving him a look that screams ‘ _don’t be disrespectful’_ , but before she can properly chew him out, the village leader bows. 

“It would be an honour to assist you in your travels.” He turns and walks into the building beside them, a few other village members following the man. Katara gives him another look, before turning to speak with Aang. 

“That was pretty impressive Avatar work, Aang,” She says fondly. “I’m so proud you did it all by yourself too.” 

“Well, I had a little help,” Aang admits. “Avatar Roku was able to help me, and I figured out how I can talk to him.” 

“Great, that’s supposed to make your Avatar powers easier, right?” Sokka asks, and Aang nods. 

“It is.” He frowns a little. “But there are two problems.” 

Sokka sighs. “Like everywhere we go, there will be problems,” He says sadly. “Lay it on me; I want to hear the better problem first.” 

Aang fiddles with his fingers. “Well, while I was in the spirit world, Avatar Roku said to talk to him, I need to visit him on the Winter Solstice.” 

Katara gasps. “Aang, that’s tomorrow! Is it at least somewhere close by?” 

“That’s the other problem.” Aang frowns. “His temple is on a crescent-shaped island, found somewhere in the Fire Nation.” 

“No way,” Katara says immediately. “We can’t go to the Fire Nation; it’s way too dangerous.” 

Aang nods solemnly, looking up at the two of them. “It’s dangerous for all of us to go,” He says before casting his eyes to the ground. “That’s why I’m going alone.” 

Sokka scoffs. “Sure, and I’m giving up meat forever.” He folds his arms over his chest. Aang looks up at him with a puzzled expression and Sokka smirks. “We won’t let you do this by yourself, Aang; we’re coming with you.” 

Aang widens his eyes, a small smile forming on his features before he suddenly frowns, looking away again. “The Air Nomads might still be alive today if it weren’t for me,” he says quietly. “I don’t want anything like that to happen again.” 

Sokka claps a hand down on the Airbenders shoulder. “It won’t, trust me. Besides,” He says while climbing up into Appa’s saddle. “You’re the Avatar, and I’m now a trained Kyoshi warrior. We can handle a little Fire Nation.” 

“I was the Avatar when they attacked the nomads too…” Aang mutters, crossing his arms dejectedly. Katara rests a hand on his shoulder, whispering something Sokka assumes is some reassuring mom-phrases. The man getting their supplies returns at that moment, two baskets in hand. 

“Here,” He says, handing the supplies to Aang. “It’s a long journey where you’re headed; you’ll need to get going immediately.” 

Katara climbs into the saddle, Aang handing the supplies to her after jumping up to sit on Appa’s head. He turns to the members of the village. 

“Thank you so much for-”

“Go!” 

* * *

“ _Are you sure you’re alright?_ ” 

Sokka frowns, glancing up from his map to look over at Katara. “ _What do you mean?_ ” He whispers back in Water Tribe.

Katara bites her lip, her gaze briefly flitting to Aang. “ _When you were in the spirit world,”_ She asks. “ _You looked very... lost."_

Sokka furrows his brow, trying to recall the bizarre experience. Like a dream, most of it’s faded from his memory; a fragmented silhouette of what once was a full image in his mind. He remembers Suki, and the moon, and the boy. 

“I saw Suki,” He says.

“Who?” Aang asks from the front, and Sokka realises he said that last part in Earth Kingdom. 

“Uh, in the spirit world,” Sokka says. “I saw Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. She said some things to me.” 

Aang turns back to face them. “What did she say?” 

Sokka can remember the phrase clearly. _Koi_ _no yokan._ Those are the only words he can hear in his mind when he thinks back on his experience, and Sokka has a feeling it’s because she’s said them to him before; back on Kyoshi Island, behind the buildings. The phrase he couldn’t hear over the explosion of fire. 

“She said, ‘Koi no yokan’.” Sokka rubs the back of his head. “I also saw the moon. It thanked me, but I don't know what for.” 

“Wait, really?” Aang asks, his eyes wide. “She said that?” 

“Who, Suki?” Sokka asks, and when Aang nods, he nods back. “Yeah, but I don’t know what it means.” 

“I do,” Aang replies. “It’s like a feeling, though. The feeling of meeting someone and knowing you’re going to love them.” Sokka blinks, feeling the blush creeping up his neck. It seems Sokka's not the only one a little flustered by the translation, as Aang’s quick glance to Katara doesn’t go unnoticed by him. Katara, though, misses the brief look entirely, leaning over the edge of Appa’s saddle to look at something below them. 

“Uh, guys?” She asks. “I think we’re being followed.” Sokka follows her gaze, gaping when he sees where she’s looking. A small Fire Nation vessel cuts through the waves in the waters below them, keeping up with them as they fly through the air. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but that’s a very familiar ship,” Sokka says, turning back to Aang. “We better get moving.” 

“On it!” 

“Usually I’d just say that’s what all their ships look like, but you’re right,” Katara says, and Sokka turns back to see her biting her lip nervously. “I think it’s the guy who invaded the south.” 

“Really?” Aang calls from the front of the bison. “He was in Kyoshi too, wasn’t he?” 

“Do you think he’s following us?” Sokka asks, and Katara nods, opening her mouth to say something else when a fireball flies up from the ship, headed straight towards them. 

“Fireball!” Katara cries, and Aang turns around to face forward, pulling on Appa’s reins sharply to avoid being hit by the flaming hot—and very smelly—projectile. 

“Can’t this thing go any faster!?” Sokka exclaims, plugging his nose from the stench.

Aang turns back, also plugging his nose, to glare at Sokka. “This _thing_ is named _Appa_ ,” He starts. “There’s also… one little problem.” Aang turns back around, steering Appa through the clouds so Sokka and Katara can see what he’s talking about. Once the clouds part, Sokka's jaw drops as he sees what Aang meant by ‘little problem’.

Over two dozen Fire Nation ships form a blockade below, and judging by their loaded trebuchets, they’ve spotted Appa in the air. 

“They wouldn’t shoot, would they?” Katara asks nervously. “There’s a Fire Nation ship behind us; surely they'd want to avoid sinking it?” 

As if in response, the ships forming the blockade launch their fiery attacks, almost thirty projectiles headed toward them.

“I think you got your answer!” Sokka exclaims. He grips the side of Appa’s saddle as the beast maneuvers it’s way through the oncoming assault, and Sokka’s not sure if it’s Aang’s expert flying skills getting them through this, or just the bison trying to stay alive. Two fireballs collide in front of their flying path, and some debris lands on Appa’s fur. The beast growls loudly, patches of fur smouldering just below the saddle. 

“You okay, Appa?” Aang asks the beast as Sokka and Katara pat away the flaming fur. He pulls Appa higher into the sky, above the cloudline, and for a moment, Sokka believes they're safe. 

A moment later, however, the blockade’s attack is suddenly made a thousand times harder to avoid, as more fireballs are shot at them, breaching the clouds. It’s almost impossible to predict where they’re coming from this high in the sky. Aang takes a sharp right to avoid a collision, but when two fireballs collide in front of them again, Sokka loses his grip and flies out of the saddle.

“Sokka!” Aang cries, his voice fading away as Sokka falls. Sokka screams, flailing around as he instinctively tries to grab onto something. Sokka's not sure what would be a worse death; getting hit by a fireball in the sky, or landing in the waters below. As he falls, the air rushes around him, forcing his eyelids closed and blocking out all sound. There's a moment, a moment that lasts far too long, that Sokka thinks this is how he'll die. He managed to survive this long just for the Fire Nation to hit their own projectile and send him flying into the ocean. 

The moment ends, though, and with a loud thud, Sokka lands in the saddle again, caught by Katara as Aang flies Appa.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Katara practically screams at him, and Sokka scrambles to grab onto something. As he flails, something hits him in the face, and Sokka's afraid he's just been killed by flying debris—wet, scaly debris. It's not until Momo grabs the fish that hit him does Sokka realise he's alive, and Appa is flying dangerously close to the water. 

“Aang, we’re gonna crash!” Katara calls from the other side of the saddle, and Sokka looks ahead to see they’re level with the ships in the blockade, approaching with dangerous speed. Aang shouts something back that they don’t hear, and a moment later a single fireball shoots right towards them. 

“Aang, what are you doing!?” Sokka shouts as the Airbender suddenly leaps off of Appa. He jumps towards the projectile, and Sokka almost can’t look. 

He does, in the end, and he’s thrilled he does, because Aang blowing up a fireball with _just_ airbending is about the coolest thing he’s ever seen in his fifteen years of living. 

Sokka rushes to the front of the saddle with Katara, catching the Airbender as he lands back on Appa’s head. As Appa continues over the blockade, successfully flying out of the fire line, Sokka releases the Airbender; his arms numb with adrenaline. 

“We made it!” Aang exclaims happily, and Sokka slumps back into the saddle. 

“We got into the Fire Nation…” He mutters, a little in shock. He shares a look with Katara, who looks about as pleased as he feels that they’ve made it into enemy territory after making a scene like that. 

“ _Great._ ” 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used:  
> Koi No Yokan - 恋の予感: the feeling you get when you know you’ll come to love someone, similar to love at first sight but a little different  
> (Japanese)
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	9. The Winter Solstice: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gets into a bit of a scuffle at Roku's temple, with new villains entering the roster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, folks! This chapter's a biggie, about 5k words, and it could just be all nonsense! This felt like it kicked my ass a little, so my deepest apologies if you see any errors (I love to be called out on my bs so please call me out!) 
> 
> Fair warning: 
> 
> Lot's of unreadable sentences again in this chapter. It's all Fire Nation (which is Thai), and again I've tried to make it a little obvious as to what they're saying so there's no need to whip out google translate (which sux) or constantly flip to the end notes and back. 
> 
> Let me know ur thoughts and feelings as always <3 and get ready for our boy ZUKO next chapter :D

* * *

_“What if I can’t master all the elements in time? What if I fail?”_

_“I know you can do it, Aang, for you have done it before.”_

* * *

It takes them until late-afternoon to spot the crescent-shaped island below them, and after hours of flying, Sokka’s not sure he believes Aang after the boy points it out. However, once down on the island’s rocky surface, he’s confident it’s the right place. Sure enough, it’s an island shaped like a crescent moon, though, a little more brown and a little more boring. For his first glimpse at the Fire Nation, Sokka can’t say he’s too impressed. 

“There’s the temple,” Katara points out, staring off at the building in the distance. “Even from here, it doesn’t look like there are any guards.” 

Sokka steps up beside her, squinting his eyes at the seemingly empty area. “You’re right,” He agrees. “We should still keep our guard up, though.”

With Appa staying behind, the three of them trek over the rocky path up to the temple. Despite the sun hanging low in the sky, Sokka’s still sweating right through his tunic. _Ironic that the Fire Nation is so hot._ They eventually stop behind a small wall, peering out from over it occasionally. 

“So,” Katara starts. “Do we just go straight in?” 

Aang shrugs. “I don’t see why not.” He frowns at the setting sun. “Besides, we don’t have much time.” 

Entering the temple is suspiciously easy, their footsteps echoing throughout the entire building it seems. Sokka takes a moment to appreciate the interior architecture; everything seems to glow red ominously, with the floor and ceiling reflecting the light around them. The material used seems similar to a polished elephant-walrus tusk, though darker in colour. 

It doesn’t take them long to get lost among the symmetrical hallways, arriving in another empty room with no Roku in sight. 

Sokka is the first to complain. “Hey, Aang, don’t you have some way to navigate us to Roku?” He asks. 

“Why would I be able to do that?” Aang retorts. 

Sokka rolls his eyes, opening his mouth to point out the obvious when footsteps reach them, echoing throughout the room. He turns toward the sound and sees five older men approach, all dressed in deep red robes with strange hats. A man with a ruby in his hat steps forward, scowling at the three of them.

“Khuṇ k̄hêā mā nı wạd Avatar k̄hxng reā xỳāng ngò k̄helā,” He says, and Sokka rolls his eyes. 

“Okay, seriously, why do people always assume we’ll understand them,” He says while gesturing to men. “If I were you guys, I’d have a bit more of a universal opening.” 

The man who spoke curls his lip in another scowl, fists clenched tightly as he speaks again, this time in Earth Kingdom. “You have made a mistake coming here, Avatar.” He points at the three of them. “You should know you are not welcome.” 

“What do you mean?” Aang asks from behind Sokka. “I thought this was Roku’s temple? Aren’t you guys supposed to be loyal to him?” 

“Roku has been dead for a long time,” The man responds. “We are loyal to the Fire Nation!” The man lets loose a massive ball of fire to emphasise his point, Sokka narrowly avoiding it as he leaps out of the way. Aang deflects the attack, moving to stand in front of Sokka and Katara,

“You guys go! I’ll hold them off!” He shouts behind him, and Sokka doesn’t think twice, grabbing Katara and running down the hallway in front of them. 

“ _Do you know where you’re going?!_ ” Katara exclaims as they race through the halls. Sokka releases her arm as they continue to run, zigzagging through the maze-like structure. 

“ _I’m just looking for a place to hide!”_ He responds. Sokka’s never seen a building so empty before though, so his hopes for finding a hiding spot are not very high. 

Aang suddenly races past them, shouting something about looking for a way out. He makes a left, disappearing from view briefly, before appearing again with a bewildered expression. 

“Wrong way!” 

A voice calls out to them in another language Sokka doesn’t recognise, fading out of earshot as he runs after Aang. 

After making another turn into a dead-end, Sokka takes a moment to catch his breath. 

“How… do we… get out of here…?” Sokka asks between pants, his hands on his knees. He’s not out of shape by any means, but the adrenaline mixed with the physical exertion is taking its toll on him. 

“We can’t leave without finding Roku,” Aang says sternly. 

“You heard the crazy old guy,” Sokka retorts, standing up straight to stretch a little. “They probably destroyed anything Roku-related after he died; have you seen how empty it is in here?” 

Aang’s inner eyebrows raise, a look of concern on his features as he considers the possibility that they’ve come all this way for nothing. Before he can respond, footsteps approach, and one of the men chasing them appears. Sokka readies himself for a fight, but the man holds up his hands in surrender, saying something to them while looking at Aang. 

From behind him, Sokka hears Aang gasp before responding to the man excitedly. He furrows his brow before turning to look between Aang and the man. 

“Aang, what is he saying?” He asks, and Aang beams up at Sokka. 

“He spoke in Air Nomad!” He exclaims. Sokka feels his jaw drop slightly, and looks up to see Katara mirroring his expression. 

“How do you know that language?” She asks astonishedly, and the man bows to her. 

“I am a friend,” He says in Earth Kingdom. “I am loyal to the Avatar and will continue to make efforts to maintain their cultures, no matter what state the Fire Nation is in.” 

Sokka frowns a little, not entirely convinced. “How do we know you’re not trying to trick us?” He asks. 

“I can take you to Avatar Roku so that you may contact him,” He says to all of them. “There is a secret passage that will lead us there discreetly.” 

“Where?” Aang asks, and the man takes a step back. He grabs the lantern on the wall, sliding it, so it turns to reveal a small hole where he places his hand. After a strange Firebending move, the wall slides out of view. 

“Here,” Says the man, and gestures to the tunnel that has been revealed. “Quickly, if you want to reach Roku before the end of the solstice.” 

At the mention of the solstice, and the fact that he can hear the other men’s voices in the distance, Aang seems to lower his guard, walking through the doorway first. Sokka and Katara follow close behind, the man sealing the door after taking up the rear. 

Though poorly lit, Sokka admires the tunnel as they walk through it. It’s wide enough that the man who helped them can make his way in front of them to lead the way, with perfectly carved steps made for easy walking. After a few moments of silence, Aang clears his throat. 

“Who are you?” He asks. “And why are you helping us?” 

The man turns to smile at Aang. “I am Shyu,” He replies. “And I may be the only Fire Sage left who remembers the real reason we protect this temple.” 

“So these Fire Sages,” Katara pipes up from in front of Sokka. “Why are they treating Aang like a criminal?” 

“The Avatar is currently the Fire Nation’s biggest threat,” Shyu responds. “So, in a way, he is.” 

“I’ve done nothing wrong though,” Aang counters. “What happened over a hundred years?” 

“The sages lost hope. After Avatar Roku died, they waited. When you never came, they turned to the Fire Lord,” Shyu says sadly. “The Fire Lord began his takeover of the world; At the same time, starting a hunt for the next Avatar. They wiped out the Air Nomads first, as that was where you the cycle would begin next. After their genocide, they targeted the Water Tribes.” Sokka sees Katara hunch her shoulders slightly, and he reaches out a hand to comfort her as they walk. 

“After it was clear no Avatar had been reborn, the Fire Nation believed the cycle to be broken and continued to lay waste on the rest of the world. By returning, you have displayed a great strength that strikes fear into their hearts,” Shyu continues. “You are a great threat to them.” 

Sokka scoffs lightly, earning a looking from Katara. “What? Aang might be the Avatar, but I wouldn’t say he strikes _fear_ into people,” He says. “I mean, look at him.” On cue, Aang turns around to give Katara his best polar bear-puppy eyes, and Sokka can physically feel her eye-roll. 

“While that may be true,” Shyu says from the front, amusement lacing his words. “The Avatar has the potential to become more powerful than the Fire Nation can handle; they are aware of this potential, and they wish to snuff it out.” 

They continue to walk, and eventually, the tunnel breaks away into a larger tunnel with magma running through one side of it. Sokka can feel the heat on his skin as he walks. He glances over to the red-hot river, the glow so bright it almost hurts his eyes. 

“How did the Fire Sages know I was coming?” Asks Aang suddenly, and Sokka returns his attention to the front. 

Shyu takes a right, leading them up an incline. “A few weeks ago, the most amazing thing happened,” He says. “The statue of Avatar Roku, its eyes began to glow!” 

“Aang, when we were at the Air Temple, the Avatar statues eyes began to glow then too,” Katara says. “It was when you entered the Avatar state.” 

Shyu nods. “We knew you had returned to the world at that moment,” He says. Shyu slows to a stop as the hill plateaus, another staircase in front of them. He turns to face Aang, a serious look on his face. “That was also the moment I knew I would eventually need to betray the other sages.” 

Aang bows slightly to the man. “Thank you for helping me,” He says, and Shyu returns the bow before gesturing to the staircase. 

“This will take us to Roku’s sanctuary, where you will be able to speak with him,” He says. “Come quickly; I’m not sure how much time we will have.” 

* * *

After climbing the impossibly tall spiral staircase, they finally make it to the temple’s upper sanctuary. Sokka is about to complain as he realises it’s just another empty room filled with large pillars, before he notices the enormous, ornate door to another room in the centre. Sokka guesses the door must be at least fifteen feet tall; Gold and brass combined to form a Fire Nation insignia on the front, with five holes in the shape of some sort of open-mouthed lion-creature. 

“Mị̀!” Shyu exclaims, and Aang frowns at him. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks, and Shyu approaches the door. 

“The Fire Sages have sealed the door,” He says gravely. “They want to prevent you from speaking to Roku.” 

“Weird that they wouldn’t wait for us up here,” Sokka comments. He strokes his chin thoughtfully before pointing at Shyu. “Can’t you just open it? You’re a Firebender, aren’t you?” 

“Like that other door,” Katara comments. “Does this one work the same way?” 

Shyu nods. “It does, but only a fully realised Avatar can open this door alone.” He gestures to himself lamely. “As a Fire Sage, I would need four others to assist me. The door requires five simultaneous fire blasts to be open.” 

Sokka frowns. _There has to be a way in—a_ _way to mimic five fire blasts. Or at least four with Shyu’s help._

“Does it have to be real firebending?” Sokka asks, and Shyu gives him a puzzled look. 

“What do you mean?” He asks. 

Sokka rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Well, how does the door know the difference between real and fake fire?” 

“Fake fire? Really Sokka?” Katara asks dryly, but Shyu nods from beside her. 

“No, he makes a good point,” He says, and Sokka raises his eyebrows at Katara, who sticks out her tongue in response. “What do you suggest?” 

Sokka chews the inside of his cheek as he looks around the room for something that could help them. “Well, if we had something that would react to fire in a way that would _seem_ like a fire blast. Something like…” His eyes land on one of the gas lamps, and he beams. “Something like gas!” 

“We have to try it!” Aang says excitedly, and Shyu nods eagerly. 

After removing his inner slippers, which are made of a type of animal skin, Sokka forms five small pouches, filling them with the gas from the lamps and tying them off with the fabric worn on his wrists, soaked in oil. 

“My dad taught me this one,” He says after tying the last pouch. “We fill the pouch with gas and soak the twine as well. The Fire will climb the twine until it reaches the pouch, and it explodes! Fake Firebending!” He beams at everyone, proudly holding out one of the pouches, the gas sloshing around inside.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time,” Katara comments. Her eyes land on his bare wrist, and Sokka watches her smile twitch, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. Sokka follows her gaze, quickly pulling back his hand as he realises he was showing off the pouch with his soulmarked hand. 

“Alright, let’s get this set up,” He says hurriedly, avoiding his sister’s gaze. 

After shoving the pouches deep into the slots where real firebending would occur, Sokka takes a step back to admire his work. Shyu tugs at a few of the oil-soaked fabric pieces hanging out, making sure they’re in the right spot, before turning to look at Aang. 

“The explosion will alert the other sages,” He says. “You will need to be ready to jump in.” 

“I’m ready,” Aang replies firmly. 

Shyu nods at him before turning to Sokka. “Stand back; this will be dangerous.” 

Sokka jogs back to where Katara stands behind one of the pillars, hiding behind her as Shyu gets to work. Aang stands behind one adjacent to them, and they wait for Shyu to light the bombs. 

After a moment, Shyu runs back to them. “They’re ready.” He looks at Aang. “Be quick, they-” 

A loud boom interrupts him, and Sokka clutches Katara tightly as the room shakes from the explosion’s intensity. Aang races out from behind the pillar, running into the dust cloud created from the bombs. As the dust settles, Sokka looks up to see Aang tugging on one of the large door handles. 

“They’re still locked!” He shouts back, continuing to tug. 

Shyu walks out from behind the pillar, gaping at the door. “It didn’t work…” He says sadly. 

“Oh no,” Katara whispers. “

Aang groans angrily before throwing a few air punches at the door, enunciating each word with a blast. “Why! Won’t! It! Open!” 

“Aang!” Katara says, grabbing his arm. “Shouting at it won’t help.” 

Sokka frowns, walking up to the door to inspect the blast area. “I just don’t get it,” He says, rubbing at the black soot leftover from the explosion. “It’s just a mechanical door; how would it know the difference between real and fake Firebending?” 

“Perhaps the blast was too short,” Shyu offers, coming to stand beside him. “No matter; the Fire Sages will be here, so you all should get out of here as soon as you can.”

“Wait,” Katara says suddenly. “Maybe there’s still a way we can get in.” 

Sokka is about to scoff, but Aang beats him to the punch. “I don’t think so, Katara,” He says. “Sokka’s plan was our best idea. Unless I can suddenly become a fully realised Avatar in right now, we can’t get that door open.” 

Katara shakes her head at him. “We might not need to open it at all. Look,” She says, pointing to the soot covering all five of the openings. “The door _looks_ like it’s been opened. We could trick the sages into thinking you’re already inside, and they could open it for us!” 

Shyu gasps. “That’s an excellent idea,” He says. “They don’t know I’m helping you yet; they’ll trust me when I tell them you got in.” 

Sokka and Katara are the first to hide before Aang points out that they don’t have a cover if the sages doubt Shyu. Conveniently, Momo leaps onto his shoulders at the mention of a cover, and Katara gets the idea to have him slip through the pipes to pretend to be Aang. 

After Momo successfully gets into the room, wandering around with his shadow showing under the door, Aang hides as well, and they wait for the sages to appear. It doesn’t take long, and once the sages are in the room, Sokka holds his breath. 

“Phwk k̄heā xyū̀ thī̀h̄ịn?” He hears one of them demand. 

“Xwtār xyū̀ nı h̄̂xng læ̂w! Rĕw peid pratū!” Shyu responds desperately, and Sokka hears the sages grumble amongst themselves. 

“K̄heā k̄hêā mā dị̂ xỳāngrị?” Asks another voice, and Sokka winces at the doubt clearly laced in the speaker’s tone. “Xwtār pĕn pheīyng dĕk p̄hū̂chāy!”

“Thī̀ nạ̀n tı̂ pratū!” Shyu responds, and Sokka peeks out from his hiding spot to see Shyu pointing at Momo’s shadow moving around. Shyu then gestures to the scorch marks. “Læa rxy h̄ịm̂!”

The other sages look between themselves before barking something out, getting into formation in front of the door. _Yes!_ Sokka thinks. He can’t believe it worked. He glances at Katara who gives him a nod, and they ready themselves to strike. 

The Fire Sages let loose five simultaneous fire blasts into the openings, and step back as a grinding sound echoes throughout the room. The metal parts of the door begin to move, curling in on themselves and shifting until the insignia opens up like a flower, and the door opens. 

In the centre of the sanctuary, Momo sits before the Fire Sages, chirping at them curiously. One of the sages turns on Shyu angrily. 

“K̄heā xyū̀ thī̀h̄ịn? Nạ̀n pĕn pheīyng ling bāng chnid!” He shouts. Shyu shrugs at the man, and Momo lunges at him. 

While one sage deals with the lemur, Sokka rushes out with Katara to restrain two more. Shyu deals with the last one, holding his arms behind his back as they wait for Aang. 

“Aang! Now’s your chance!” Katara calls out, and when no response is heard from the boy, Sokka looks up to where the boy was supposed to jump out from. 

“Aang?” Shyu calls, and after a beat, two figures stumble out from behind the pillar. Sokka gasps as he sees Aang, detained by the guy who followed them to Kyoshi Island. The scar, the ponytail; there’s no doubt it's the same guy. He holds Aang’s hands behind his back roughly, dragging him towards the stairs to leave.

“The Avatar is coming with me!” He shouts in Earth Kingdom, and Sokka, despite the circumstances, finds himself appreciating the guy’s effort to make himself understood. 

Aang’s capture shocks the three of them into letting their guard down, and the Fire Sages regain the upper hand; quickly disarming them. Sokka struggles as the sages drag them over to one of the giant pillars in the room, wrapping thick chains around him and Katara, locking them in place. 

“Pid pratū!” The guy with the scar shouts and the Fire Sages move to close the doors to the sanctuary. 

“ _No…_ ” Katara whispers from behind him. The sound of grinding metal echo throughout the room once more, signalling that they’ve lost their chance.

A grunt and a bang catch Sokka’s attention, and he whips his head to see Aang’s captor go tumbling down the stairs. Aang sprints away from him, racing toward the rapidly closing doors as quickly as he can. 

“Go, Aang!” Katara exclaims, and Sokka watches the boy run at an impossible speed, leaping through the doors at the last second. The heavy clang echoes throughout the room, followed by a thunderous _chunk_ of the door locking itself.

A blinding light burns Sokka’s eyes suddenly, and he quickly turns his head away. After a second, the light disappears, and the angry Firebender with the scar turns on the Fire Sages, seething angrily. Shyu stands in front of them, looking down at the floor as the small soldier marches up to him.

“Khwām h̄māy k̄hxng kār thryṣ̄ nī̂ khụ̄x xarị?!” He demands, pointing at Shyu. The other Fire Sages mutter something in response, all the while glaring at Shyu. The Fire Sage holding him pushes him to the ground, forcing him to kneel before the ponytail guy—who Sokka desperately wishes he knew the name of; he can’t keep calling him various names based on his appearance. 

_“I knew he was following us,”_ Katara whispers in Water Tribe, and Sokka turns to her as Shyu speaks to the rest of the sages. _“Why does he want the Avatar so badly?”_

_“You heard Shyu,”_ Sokka replies quietly. _“The Fire Nation considers Aang a threat.”_

Katara frowns at him. _“But this is the only guy we’ve run into outside of the Fire Nation_ ,” She argues. _“Doesn’t he seem a little… determined?”_

_“They’re all determined, Katara!”_ Sokka hisses. _“It’s the Fire Nation; what do you expect?”_

Slow clapping interrupts their conversation, and Sokka turns his head to the sound. As a man and some soldiers come into view, Katara tugs at his wrist.

_“Now who is that?”_ She whispers, and Sokka shrugs as he watches the new party approach. A saunters toward the Fire Sages, followed by a large group of soldiers holding very intimidating weapons. If Sokka were to make a guess, based on how impressive the man’s armour is, he’s some sort of general, or perhaps a captain. 

The group comes to a stop in front of the Fire Sages, and Sokka takes in the man’s appearance. With thick sideburns, an intense widow’s peak, and a smirk as deadly as his entourage, Sokka would say he looks about as Fire Nation as they get. 

“ _He looks well decorated,”_ Sokka remarks, and Katara nods at him as the man begins to speak to the Firebenders in the centre of the room. Sokka furrows his brow; the man’s tone sounds oddly amused. He continues to talk, before snapping his fingers and pointing to Shyu and the guy with the scar. Sokka watches, confused as the soldiers apprehend both of them roughly, chaining him up to the pillar adjacent to Sokka and Katara. 

_“What is going on!?”_ Katara whispers in shock and Sokka shakes his head, unsure of how to respond to that. _“Isn’t that soldier on their side?!”_

Sokka glances at ponytail guy briefly, only to find the other boy already looking his way. He quickly looks away from Sokka, and if Sokka didn’t know any better, he’d say the boy was blushing. 

A voice catches Sokka’s attention. “Læa khuṇ pĕn khır?” 

He looks up to see the man with the sideburns standing in front of him and Katara, looking at them with one eyebrow quirked upward. Sokka glances at Katara, who shrugs in response. 

“They understand Earth Kingdom,” The ponytail guy snarls suddenly, and the man gives the boy a side glance. 

“Of course, _you_ would know that,” He responds, the edge in his voice as sharp as a sword. “It’s no surprise to find you in the same place as some _savages_.” 

Sokka feels Katara ball up her fists from beside him, and he tugs at her sleeve to try and prevent her from getting them both killed. The sideburns man takes notice and raises both eyebrows at her. 

“Aren’t you feisty?” He says to her, and Sokka wishes the Fire Sages had gagged them or something. Luckily for the both of them, Katara keeps her mouth shut as the man walks away, continuing to speak to them in Earth Kingdom. 

“Are you here with the Avatar?” He asks calmly. There’s a beat of silence before he turns to look at them expectantly, and Katara clears her throat.

“Yes,” She says curtly. “You’re too late. He’s already inside the sanctuary.” 

The man gives them an unimpressed look. “Well, I guess one never said they could _speak_ Earth Kingdom,” He says, and Sokka scowls at him. “Your Avatar needs to come out eventually, at which point we will capture him and take him to the Fire Nation.” 

“Who even are you?” Sokka calls out. “Why are you here?” 

“Are you really as dumb as the animals you hunt?” The man barks, turning on his heel. “Or can you not understand me after all? I am Commander Zhao, and I’m here to capture _The Avatar.”_ The man speaks slowly nearing the end of his sentence, enunciating his words as if he were speaking to a toddler. 

Sokka scowls again, before glancing at the other boy tied up to the pillar. “Well, why’d you chain up ponytail guy?” He asks. Commander Zhao gives him a strange look before he laughs loudly. 

“One would be executed on the spot for disregarding a member of the royal family’s status the way you did just now,” He says casually. “Fortunately for you, said member is exiled; therefore, I’ll pardon your crime.” He dusts off one shoulder pad before turning back around. “You’ll still be executed for other reasons, of course.” 

Ponytail guy begins to shout at Commander Zhao, and the man turns his attention away from them for good. Sokka feels Katara pull at his wrist, and he turns to her. 

_“‘Royal Family’?”_ She asks. _“Exiled?”_

_“I guess?”_ Sokka replies. _“I mean, he doesn’t look royal to me.”_

_“He did say he was exiled…”_ Katara mutters, and Sokka steals a glance at the guy angrily scowling at the Commander. Zhao walks away, shouting something at the soldiers he brought with him who all get into position in front of the door. They get into offensive stances, and Sokka feels Katara tug at his wrist again. 

_“What?”_ He asks, turning to face her once more. She gives him a look, biting her lip before blurting out her question. 

_“Why didn’t you tell me you have a soulmate?”_

Sokka takes a minute to sputter and figure out a way to respond, before rolling his eyes at her. _“Is that really what you’re most concerned with right now?”_ He asks incredulously. 

She gives him another look before sighing. _“It’s the only thing I have some control over,”_ She whispers. After a beat, she asks, _“Is it that girl from Kyoshi?”_

Sokka feels something in his heart tug sadly, and he shakes his head. _“No. I don’t know who it is.”_

Katara gasps quietly. _“Sokka, that’s terrible!”_ She says and slips her hand into his. _“I’m so sorry.”_

He lets out a huff of dry laughter. _“You know, everyone seems to think so.”_ He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. _“I’m not as concerned as you’d think.”_

“Please quiet down over there,” Commander Zhao calls from where he stands. “I’m sure you’ll want to be able to say your last words at some point; don’t let them be now.” 

Sokka sticks his tongue out at the back of the man’s head, before turning back to Katara who gives him a sympathetic look. She squeezes his hand briefly, when a rumbling sounds throughout the room, pulling their attention to the sanctuary door. 

The Commander shouts something, and the soldiers take their aim. Sokka watches as the mechanisms begin to twist and rotate again, the bright light from before spilling out from beneath the door. The doors open, and Sokka has to turn away, the light from both the room and the Firebenders attack too bright to bear. He can feel the heat from where he stands as if the flames are somehow reaching him, and it takes him a moment to realise he’s moved his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the heat. 

When the light fades away, Sokka looks down to see that somehow their chains have been disintegrated, reduced to ashes at their feet. Katara tugs at his wrist, pointing at the sanctuary doors where, instead of Aang, they see the spirit image of Avatar Roku. 

“Heavens!” Shyu exclaims, and Sokka sees the man immediately bow before him while the rest of the sages and soldiers run frantically out of the room. 

“Where’s Aang?!” Katara exclaims. 

Sokka clutches the pillar beside them as another rumble shakes the temple. “I don’t know, but we need to get out of here!” 

“Avatar Roku is destroying the temple,” Shyu calls to them. He’s risen from his bow and is making his way over to Sokka and Katara. “You need to-” 

An explosion of magma from under the temple shoots through the floor, interrupting Shyu and stopping him from reaching them. Sokka watches the man turn and runs toward the stairs, giving them an apologetic look before leaving them alone as the room begins to crumble. 

The spirit of Roku lets loose one last Firebending move before he disappears in a flash, all steam and smoke fading with him. The temple seems to settle for a moment, and Katara takes the opportunity to look for Aang. 

“There!” Sokka exclaims, racing over to where the boy has collapsed. Aang gives him a weak smile as Sokka helps him up. “Let’s get you out of here, buddy.” 

Katara helps Sokka carry the young Airbender to the secret staircase they came out of with Shyu, only to find red-hot magma bubbling up slowly. 

“We’re too late,” Sokka says, frantically looking around the room for another escape. 

Aang pulls out of his grasp, racing toward a hole in the wall. “There!” He exclaims. Sokka follows, peering out over the edge to see just how far down they’d have to jump. 

“That’s too far,” Katara says. “We’ll-” 

“Appa! Momo!” 

Sokka looks up at Aang’s announcement to see his animal companions flying in from where they left them. Relief floods his system as they just manage to leap out of the building, landing on Appa’s saddle as the temple finally falls. 

As Appa flies them far away from the island, Sokka sits up to stare at the Fire Navy ships behind them, still docked at the shore. The Temple burns, black smoke billowing out of the wreckage and the ships, and all Sokka can think is how symbolic it all is. The Fire Nation, fueled by destruction and power. Even in exile, banished from their country, they’re still so hateful. 

When he finally turns away, the island and the ships fading into the clouds, Sokka can’t help but picture the face of the royal family member who followed them from the South and Kyoshi. 

_Why_ is _he so determined?_

  
  


* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used: (There's a lot)
> 
> (Fire Sages first words to the gaang)  
> คุณเข้ามาในวัด Avatar ของเราอย่างโง่เขลา.(Khuṇ k̄hêā mā nı wạd Avatar k̄hxng reā xỳāng ngò k̄helā.): You stupidly entered our Avatar Temple.
> 
> (Shyu’s exclamation when he sees the doors to the sanctuary are closed)  
> ไม่!(Mị̀!): No!
> 
> (Fire Sages speaking to Shyu when they reach the sanctuary)  
> พวกเขาอยู่ที่ไหน?(Phwk k̄heā xyū̀ thī̀h̄ịn?): Where are they?
> 
> (Shyu replying to Fire Sages)  
> อวตารอยู่ในห้องแล้ว! เร็วเปิดประตู!(Xwtār xyū̀ nı h̄̂xng læ̂w! Rĕw peid pratū!): The avatar is in the room! Hurry, open the door!
> 
> (Fire Sages doubting Shyu)  
> เขาเข้ามาได้อย่างไร?(K̄heā k̄hêā mā dị̂ xỳāngrị?): How did he get in?
> 
> (Fire Sages doubting Shyu)  
> อวตารเป็นเพียงเด็กผู้ชาย!(Xwtār pĕn pheīyng dĕk p̄hū̂chāy!): The avatar is just a boy!
> 
> (Shyu defending his claim)  
> ที่นั่นใต้ประตู! และรอยไหม้!(Thī̀ nạ̀n tı̂ pratū! Læa rxy h̄ịm̂!): There, under the door! [...] And the burn marks!
> 
> (Fire Sages’ response to seeing Momo in the Sanctuary, and not the Avatar)  
> เขาอยู่ที่ไหน? นั่นเป็นเพียงลิงบางชนิด!(K̄heā xyū̀ thī̀h̄ịn? Nạ̀n pĕn pheīyng ling bāng chnid!): Where is he? That's just some kind of monkey!
> 
> (Zuko’s demand to the Fire Sages after capturing Aang)  
> ปิดประตู!(Pid pratū!): Close the door!
> 
> (Zhao’s first words to Sokka and Katara)  
> และคุณเป็นใคร?(Læa khuṇ pĕn khır?): And who are you?  
> (All Thai ^)
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	10. The Waterbending Scroll: Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko gets wind of the Avatar's whereabouts and allies with some pirates to help capture them. However, his plan takes a turn for the worse when an unlikely prisoner learns more than she should about the banished prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this took so long, but here we are! Chapter 10 :D So I made a mistake guys :( I forgot that Katara loses her necklace in 'Imprisoned' and then also forgot that it's an essential part of this episode. SO LMAO I tried my best to work it in; hopefully it's not toooooo jarring (I already tried to work it into previous chapters). 
> 
> Also, we are getting long chapters!! I was gonna make this another two-parter buuuuuuuuut it ended up not working out and worked better as one chapter :3

* * *

_“Most people think the lotus tile is insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ.”_

_…_

_“You’ve changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?”_

* * *

**ZUKO**

“Prince Zuko, are you alright?” Iroh strokes his beard, giving Zuko a scrutinising look. “You have spent more time touching your hair than you have enjoyed your fire flakes.” 

Zuko scowls, yanking his hand away from his hair and clearing his throat. “I was just fixing it,” He replies curtly. He glances at the sub-par snack before setting the small pouch ablaze, letting the remains fall to the ground before crushing them with his boot.

Iroh looks between the ashes and Zuko before sighing. “I understand they’re not as good as what one can find back home, but surely there was no need to dispose of them in such a way,” He says sadly. “I could have enjoyed them instead of letting them go to waste.” 

Zuko tunes out the old man’s complaints, resuming his thoughts and where they had been before the interruption. The snack hadn’t been that bad, given it was a poor attempt at recreating the Fire Nation classic, and certainly wasn’t the cause of his concern. In truth, Zuko had felt a little self-conscious of his hairstyle ever since the Water Tribe boy had referred to him as ‘ponytail guy’ back at the temple. He would have figured his scar was a little more prominent, so if the boy had noticed his ponytail first, surely something was wrong with it.

Additionally—Zuko would never willingly admit this—Zhao had been right about one thing back at the temple. Reducing a royal family member to their appearance and refusing to use their title was a criminal offence. 

_But,_ his brain argues, _he doesn’t even know your title._ So what is there to be so bothered about? Zuko knows he shouldn’t be spending so much time overthinking the comment, but regardless, his hand still finds its way back to the ends of his hair; fiddling with the strands absentmindedly as he thinks.

Though not knowing Zuko’s royal status, the boy had to know his name. Zuko knew his after all, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed to Zuko that the boy had removed his wrist wrappings, revealing the mark. He knew what his name looked like, and there it had been. So why didn’t the Water Tribe boy use it when referring to him to Zhao? The more Zuko thinks about it, the more he realises the boy didn’t seem to react to his presence at all. Perhaps he was also trying to pretend it wasn’t real; Zuko had many reasons to avoid thinking about it, and consistently avoided using the boy’s name, even in his own thoughts. Perhaps those reasons were shared.

“You’re doing it again, Prince Zuko,” Iroh comments from beside him, and Zuko quickly pulls his hand away from his hair for the second time. “Are you sure nothing is bothering you?” 

“It’s nothing,” Zuko says quickly. He clears his throat, narrowing his eyes as another crew member walks past; arms full of useless trinkets and souvenirs. “Are you almost done shopping? I won’t waste any more time hunting the Avatar.” 

Iroh pats his arm, much to Zuko’s annoyance. “One should have more patience during a pursuit like this. It can be astounding, and most convenient, when you realise how slowly one’s enemy moves after battle.” 

“At least tell me you’ve found that stupid tile,” Zuko says with a sigh. While the old man’s advice is usually helpful, it’s less appreciated when used to deflect blame. After no response from his uncle, Zuko turns to see Iroh avoiding his gaze sheepishly. “ _Uncle._ ” 

Iroh gives him a weak smile. “I have not had the best luck with the merchants of this town,” He responds. “It seems not everyone enjoys the ways of Pai Sho the way I do.” 

Zuko purses his lips, concentrating on keeping his voice calm. “So you’re telling me this was all for nothing?”

“I always say,” Iroh chirps, unaware of Zuko’s patience wearing thin. “The only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you _weren’t_ looking for at a great bargain!” 

“You think finding a cheap tsungi horn is better than finding _the Avatar?_ ” Zuko berates.

Iroh ignores him, gesturing to a docked ship a few yards away. “Come! This place certainly looks promising.” 

Zuko hesitates, debating just going back to the ship. Unfortunately, he knows if Uncle is left alone for too long, they could be here for hours. So he reluctantly follows, grumbling to himself about silly old men and stupid shopping trips.

Of course, once boarded, Zuko groans as he realises it’s just another merchant with stolen goods sold at atrociously high prices. Uncle had already taken a liking to some of the figurines, notably an ominous monkey statue with red gems, leaving Zuko to find something interesting to stare at for a few minutes.

As he makes his way through the boat, turning up his nose at everything he lays eyes, he finds his thoughts drifting to the Water Tribe boy once again. He had long since given up pretending he didn’t exist; the boy was travelling with the Avatar, someone Zuko was actively hunting. It was impossible to push him from his thoughts. 

So when they came, and they came frequently, Zuko allowed them. They were mostly angry and curious thoughts, wondering why Zuko of all people had been forsaken in such a way. How the spirits could think two boys would make a perfect match. He can already hear Azula laughing at him. _Oh Zuzu, as if your life couldn’t get any more entertaining! Well, for me at least._ It was a joke. A sick joke that made him want to cry and scream and cut off his hand. He wanted to find the spirits just so he could challenge them to an Agni Kai, and when Zuko won, he’d get his stupid soulmark removed. 

Zuko scowls at the rack of weapons he stands before as if they’re the source of his problems. He’s been allowed too much time to think, meaning they’re wasting time when they could be hunting the Avatar. As Zuko turns away, scanning the ship for his Uncle, his ears tune into a hushed voice speaking Fire Nation. 

“-got away with the waterbending scroll.” 

_Waterbending scroll?_ Zuko pauses, picturing the girl travelling with the Avatar. _She was a waterbender, wasn’t she?_ He takes a step back, creeping a bit closer to the voice’s source to listen some more.

“I should have known better than to humour that kid,” A second voice grumbles bitterly. “It must be some sort of scam tactic.” 

The first voice scoffs at the suggestion. “I wouldn’t be so sure. The other guy with the ponytail seemed pretty interested in some of our stuff,” He says. “If they’d stayed a bit longer, I’m sure he’d have given up that boomerang for one of those silk shirts.” 

Zuko’s eyes widen. _Boomerang. Not a widely used weapon._ He can only think of one person who uses one, and that person travels with the Avatar. He shifts his gaze to the row of silk shirts to his left, scowling a little at the fabric. _Who would trade a boomerang for something like this?_ He turns away from the rack of cheap clothing, pretending to admire another crazy statue as he eavesdrops some more; he has to make sure this is a real lead. 

The second voice sighs. “Well, s’ too late to be wistful,” He says. “Write up some wanted posters, and put a big bounty on each of ‘em.” 

“How big are we talking?” Asks the first voice, and Zuko strains his ears as they shift their conversation to lower whispers. 

After a beat, the second voice gasps. “Do we have that kind of money?!” 

“No,” The second voice replies through gritted teeth. “But who says we ‘ave to pay up once we got what we want?” 

The first voice chuckles. “Well, what should we call them? We never got their names.” 

The second voice scoffs. “Names don’t matter. Two Water Tribe kids and a bald monk aren’t exactly hard to miss.” 

_No, they aren’t._ Zuko makes himself seen, stepping out toward the two shop members. He clears his throat, and the two men turn to look at him. 

“That monk, did he have an arrow on his head?” He asks, putting as much authority into his voice as he can. The two men exchange glances before the taller man folds his arms over his chest. 

“What’s it to you?” He asks. Zuko places the second voice to the man and, based on his appearance, determines him to be the Captain of the ship. The iguana-parrot on his shoulder screeches loudly, almost threateningly, following the Captain’s question. 

“They took something from me, too,” Zuko replies coolly. 

“You were right!” The shorter man exclaims, and Zuko places the first voice. “It _is_ a scam.” 

Zuko nods, mirroring the taller man’s stance. “I’ve been tracking them for some time,” He says. “If you help me, I can get your scroll back.” 

“What’s in it for us?” Asks the Captain, and Zuko narrows his eyes at him. 

“What, is getting your precious scroll back not enough?” He retorts. At the Captain’s bitter expression, Zuko scowls, digging around in his pocket and pulling out a small necklace. “You’ll get your scroll back, and I’ll give you this.” While the shorter man seems rather impressed with the Water Tribe girl’s jewellery, the Captain appears less so, barking out a laugh at the small trinket.

“What can I do with arts and crafts, boy?” 

Zuko wracks his brain for something impressive to tack onto ‘necklace’. “It’s an authentic Water Tribe, uh.” He glances at the carved stone. “Necklace, worn by high elders in the Water Tribes. Only waterbenders can make them, so they’re a very rare item.” Considering he doesn’t know anything about waterbenders, Zuko’s proud of himself for his lie. 

“Only a waterbender can carve a stone, eh?” The Captain counters. “D’ya take me for a fool?” 

Zuko scowls at him. “They use _waterbending_ to carve them; it’s how they get them so smooth.” He stuffs the trinket back into his pocket. “Don’t bother bartering with me; I’ll find the thieves myself and sell your stupid scroll for more than your ship is worth.” He goes to turn and storm out of the ship when the Captain holds up a hand.

“Wait,” He starts. “We’ll help you. We do want our scroll after all.” He narrows his eyes at Zuko, smirking ever so slightly. “An’ we’ll take your necklace.” 

Zuko nods, returning the smirk. 

“You have yourself a deal.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


They set out on the river just in time for nightfall. Despite bringing along a ship of his own, Zuko decides to join the pirates on their boat. The partnership is weak at best, but he wants to keep an eye on the crew just in case they conspire against him. It felt a little wrong to be doing just that to the pirates, but Zuko paid that thought little to no mind. He was here to capture the Avatar, not make friends with criminals. 

Because of this mindset, Zuko had left out a few details. For one thing, he had omitted the identity of the Avatar. It was difficult enough having Zhao and his fleet of Fire Navy ships competing with Zuko, bringing in a third player that Zhao would likely bribe wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. 

Zuko also had no intentions of giving up the necklace. While he didn’t necessarily care for the Waterbender and her things, he wasn’t giving up more than he had to for the Avatar. He’d take his prize, give the pirates their stupid scroll, and leave. The only reason he brought the pirates was for extra manpower anyway.

A sound to his left startles Zuko out of his thoughts, and he turns to see the Captain has appeared, standing at his side. 

“We don’t seem to be makin’ any progress on the water,” The Captain says gruffly. “I thought you said you knew how to track these thieves?” 

Zuko returns his gaze where he’d been scanning the river’s edge. “I do,” He replies calmly. “We’re hunting a waterbender who just stole a waterbending scroll. They’re going to be practicing with it _on the water_.” 

The captain shrugs, turning so he can lean his back on the edge of the boat. “Why’re you after ‘em anyway?” He asks suspiciously. “What’d they steal?” 

Zuko blinks. “It’s none of your business,” He responds simply. He doesn’t have to spill his secrets to these pirates. Besides, the only thing Zuko mind could conjure up was ‘a Firebending scroll’, and that didn’t exactly seem convincing.

“The lass stole his heart!” A voice calls from behind them. Laughter follows, and Zuko rolls his eyes. The rest of the pirates had started drinking once the sun had set, much to his annoyance, so it was no surprise they weren’t taking things seriously after a while. 

Another pirate belches loudly. “Or one of the lads!” He calls, and Zuko scowls, whipping around to face them.

“Watch your mouth!” He shouts, pointing at the group of half-drunk idiots. “How dare you insinuate-”

“Settle down,” the Captain interrupts. “Whether it’s the lad or the gal, we’re not interested in that.” 

Zuko turns on him, pointing a finger at the man. “I am _not_ after—!” 

“I _just_ said,” The Captain interrupts again. “I’m not interested in that. I want to know how you know so much about ‘em.” He frowns at Zuko. “How long you been tracking ‘em?” 

Zuko scowls again, gripping the edge of the boat and returning his gaze to the treeline. “It doesn’t matter,” He mutters.

“Surely they stole something o’ great value,” The captain presses on. “Or is it their bounty you’re after? I’m sure a group like that would have a pretty impressive number on their head, no?” 

Zuko doesn’t respond, annoyed with the interrogation, and the Captain takes his silence as confirmation. “Ah, so they must be wanted for quite a lot?” He asks, leaning in close as he lowers his voice. “How much? Five-hundred gold pieces? Six-hundred?” 

“They’re worth less than your stupid scroll,” Zuko spits out. “And if you still want my help, I suggest you leave me alone until we find them.” 

The Captain falls silent, the only sound around them the drunken laughter behind them. After a beat, his hand claps down on Zuko’s shoulder, holding on tightly.

“Need I remind you, _boy_ ,” The Captain mutters closely into his ear. “ _You_ volunteered _your_ help to _us_ , and at any moment we can severe this partnership. _Permanently_.” 

Zuko turns to glare at him. “Is that a threat?” He asks, feeling his inner flame burn dangerously against his palms.

“Take it as you will,” The captain replies, releasing Zuko’s shoulder. “Watch your temper when you’re without a crew, boy.” 

Zuko turns as the Captain walks away, ready to comment on the ships flammability when a splash interrupts him. The rest of the crew falls silent, having heard it as well, and Zuko turns back to the river’s edge. Another is heard, followed by shrill shouting. _Found them._

“Stop here, we can find them on foot,” Zuko orders quietly, and the Captain repeats the message to the rest of the crew. After pulling into shore, the splashing gets louder, followed by more of the frustrated shouting. Zuko can only place one voice, meaning the Avatar isn’t currently around, but where he finds the waterbender, he’ll find the Avatar.

It doesn’t take long to find her; she’s not quiet by any means. Zuko’s surprised at how ruthless the pirates are when they capture her. Of course, that doesn’t take long either, and it takes even less time for her to recognise Zuko; tossing a stream of hate-filled words his way as the pirates roughly tie her to a tree. He can’t understand her at all, but, based on her tone, Zuko’s positive she’s insulting him. 

“She’s got quite the tongue,” One pirate comments under their breath, and Zuko silences him with a look before he can say anything else. He turns back to the Waterbender, still glaring at him from the tree. 

“Where is he,” He demands in Earth Kingdom, hand clutched tightly around the scroll. While there had been some complaints, he’d managed to keep ahold of the scroll until he got what he wanted. There was no doubt in his mind the pirates would take it and run, given the chance. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The girl shouts. The stubborn bite in her voice is enough to tell Zuko he won’t make much progress with intimidation. 

“You’re free to go if you hand him over,” He tries. “You and… the other boy.” Zuko’s not entirely sure if using his soulmates name in front of someone he barely knows is the right move. 

The girl doesn’t take kindly to his offer, scowling at him. “I’ll never tell you!” 

Zuko can feel his impatience growing, but before he can take it out on the girl, the Captain interrupts. 

“We’ve got the scroll and the girl,” He grunts. “You said it yourself, boy; you can take ‘em on. What else d’ya need us for?” 

“The girl isn’t what I want,” Zuko replies, turning to face the Captain. “Go into the forest and find the other two. Once they’re tied up and at my feet, you can leave with your scroll.” 

“That wasn’t the deal—” 

“I’ll tell you what,” Zuko interrupts, holding the scroll over one palm. He produces a flame, dangling the parchment dangerously close. “I’d like to find out how much money this is actually worth.” 

The pirates all gasp and Zuko smirks. “A lot, apparently.” He nods toward the tree line. “As I said, once I have what I want, you’ll get your scroll.” 

The Captain glares at him for a moment before signalling to his men, who reluctantly take off into the woods. “And the necklace?” He asks slowly. 

“You’ll get it once I have what I want,” retorts Zuko through gritted teeth. The Captain is the first to break eye-contact, albeit reluctantly, before turning and heading into the forest after his crew. Once gone, Zuko releases a small breath and puts out the flame, stuffing the scroll into his pocket.

“What’s your problem!?” The girl shouts once the pirates are gone. “How do you keep finding us?!”

“You’re not that hard to find,” He says quietly. When the girl opens her mouth to offer some sort of retort, Zuko pulls out her necklace and holds it in front of her, effectively shutting her up. “Look familiar?” 

“My mother’s necklace,” She gasps. A hateful expression takes over her features. “How did you get that!?” 

“I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Zuko replies. He twists the leather band between his fingers, taunting her with the sentimental object. “This seems to be something of great value to you, so I’d like to offer you a deal.” 

“I don’t want to hear it,” The girl says, and Zuko scowls at her. 

“You haven’t even heard it,” Zuko argues.

“I don’t want to!” She replies. “Nothing is worth selling out Aang.” 

Zuko takes a minute to connect the dots before responding. _Aang = Avatar. Got it._ “What does it matter? I have ten men after both of them right now; his capture is inevitable.” He dangles the necklace some more. “Besides, I’m sure this is much more valuable to you than it is to some dirty pirates.” 

The girl glares at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve already promised the pirates I’ll hand this over to them once I have the Avatar,” He says and watches the girl’s expression falter slightly. “But, I’d like to avoid another incident similar to what happened in the south, so I’ll make you a deal.”

The girl seems to consider it, and Zuko takes her silence as confirmation to continue. “I’ll give the necklace to you instead.” He holds the necklace closer, her eyes following it closely. “And in return, you don’t come after me when I leave with the Avatar.” 

“How can you expect me to...” Her voice trails off, eyes drifting away from the necklace slightly. Zuko watches her brow furrow, and he follows her gaze to where his sleeve has pulled back slightly. “Is that-” 

Zuko yanks his hand away quickly, but it's too late. The girl's expression has shifted into a strange combination of fear and hatred, and she aims it all at Zuko.

“What is that,” She whispers, voice wavering with anger. 

Zuko regains his composure enough to scowl at her. “It’s nothing,” He retorts. “It’s none of your concern, I-” 

“It is my concern!” She shouts, cutting him off quickly. "What is that! Show me!" 

_How could I have been so reckless?_ He thinks, feeling the anxiety creep in. There’s no doubt in Zuko’s mind that she saw it, but his mind still races for an excuse, something to avoid being outed by a peasant. _This could ruin everything._

“Show me,” She demands again, her voice much calmer than it had been a second ago. Zuko looks up from his thoughts to see her face has hardened. “Show me what’s there.” 

“No,” Zuko responds, quickly glancing around to be sure most of his guards are out of earshot. “There’s nothing there.” 

“You’re a liar!” She shouts. “ _Omajualuk_ ** _!_ ** If you think I’ll let you _anywhere_ near him—!”

“What does it matter to you who’s name is on here?” Zuko hisses, taking a step toward her. “I only want the Avatar; youwere the one who brought it up!” 

“You’re sick,” She continues, ignoring his comments. “You’re- you’re _horrible_ , and he’s so _not_ ; he deserves better than you!” 

Zuko scowls. “You don’t think this is just as bad for me?” 

“ _And_ you’re selfish! I can’t believe—!” 

“Enough!” Zuko shouts, loud enough that some of the guards turn their heads. He lowers his voice to a whisper once more. “I don’t want to discuss this further. You won’t mention this to _anyone_ , let alone-” 

“I will _never_ tell him,” She interrupts, glaring harshly. “And you won’t _ever_ get to hurt him. You're lucky he doesn't know who it is.” 

_So he doesn't know after all._ It made enough sense to Zuko. The boy hardly held any recognition for Zuko when they crossed paths, other than apparently taking note of his hairstyle.

Zuko purses his lips before casting his gaze down, scowling at the necklace in his palm. “That doesn't matter, anyway. It’s not me that you should be worried about,” He mutters, and shoves the trinket back into his pocket. “For your own safety, you should never let anyone see his mark.” 

“ _You’re_ threatening _me?_ _Itialuit_ —!” 

“It’s not a threat!” Zuko shouts. He groans loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t have the patience to explain it to you, but if you want to keep him alive, you’ll make sure his mark stays hidden.” Zuko knows that’s not really the truth; the Fire Nation would sooner kill him for treason than bother a single Water Tribe member. The boy wasn’t even a bender, to Zuko’s knowledge, so the target was on Zuko’s back, really. The girl didn’t need to know this though, and if protecting himself meant instilling false fear in someone else, Zuko had no problems with that.

“You’re horrible!” The girl cries as Zuko stalks away from her. “The Fire Nation is murderous, and evil, and—” She continues in a language he doesn’t understand, her voice fading away as he leaves her tied to the tree. Hopefully, the pirates find the Avatar soon enough and he can leave and forget any of this ever happened. He can forget about his soulmate, and he can finally go home. 

* * *

  
  


It’s daylight when the pirates return, the Avatar and the Water Tribe boy detained with rope handcuffs, and it doesn’t take long for Zuko’s plans to spiral out of control. 

“Hey, I'm just saying," Says the Water Tribe boy. "The Avatar for a scroll? Sounds like bad business sense to me." 

“Don’t listen to him!” Zuko shouts, already so close to victory. _I won't lose again_. “He’s just trying to turn us against each other!” 

“Sokka, seriously this isn't helping,” The Avatar hisses, and Zuko scowls. _Listen to the Avatar, peasant._

The Water Tribe boy shrugs. “I’m sure the Avatar will fetch a lot more gold pieces than a fancy piece of parchment,” He says smugly. “Think about how much the Fire Lord would pay for this guy. You could buy a hundred scrolls!” 

Zuko grips the scroll tightly, gritting his teeth as the pirates’ faces turn from confused to excited at the mention of how much money the Fire Lord would potentially pay. The Captain turns back to Zuko with a smirk. 

“I knew something was up,” He calls. “Figured they ‘ad something o’ yours that was worth more than you were lettin’ on.” He waves his hand at Zuko, turning away from him. “Keep the scroll. The necklace, too. Deals off.”

“You’ll regret breaking a deal with me!” Zuko shouts and stuffs the scroll into his waistband. “Get them!” 

A triple blast of fire is all it takes for all hell to break loose. Zuko can see one moment, and the next he’s surrounded by smoke, seizing his lungs as he tries to get his bearings. He blasts more fire at nothing, trying to get an idea of who’s around him, when the Captain appears in the smoke, sword brandished right at Zuko's throat. 

“ _I’ll_ regret breaking a deal with _you?_ ” He taunts. “Let’s see how you handle us as enemies, boy!” 

Zuko leaps out of the way as the man's sword swings toward him in a wide arc. The Captain barks out a laugh, swinging again, faster this time, so that Zuko has to leap to the left. The more he dodges, the harder the Captain laughs, almost mocking him as he chases after Zuko with the steel weapon. 

“Look at you; dancing like a hog-monkey!” The Captain swings again, and Zuko just manages to roll out of the way, shooting a blast of fire as he does. He rolls right out of the smoke cloud and takes a second to catch his breath, checking to make sure the scroll is still secure. The second is over even sooner than it began because the Captain barges out of the smoke cloud as well, sword pointed at Zuko once more. 

“Where’d all that talk go, huh?” He taunts, grinning widely. “Threatening me on my own ship? Show me that side of you, boy!” 

Zuko narrowly dodges the next swing, quickly returning the strike with a blast of fire. The Captain laughs, swinging again at Zuko. 

“There ‘e is! Give me all you’ve got, boy!” He cackles, and Zuko grits his teeth, upping the heat in his attacks. He counters the sword now, no longer playing on the defensive, and backs the Captain into the tree line. He’s about to retort with a quip of his own, when the scroll gets yanked out from his waistband, catching him off guard as he turns to see who’s taken it. Zuko doesn’t have time to see where it’s gone though, because the Captain takes the opportunity to lunge again; another blow Zuko barely dodges. 

Zuko returns his focus to his attacker, fighting harder than he did during the Agni Kai with Zhao, and feels a bit of pride swell inside him at the beads of sweat forming on the Captains forehead. He’s ready to end this, to get back on track to catch the Avatar, when a hand grabs his head roughly, yanking him from the fight. 

Iroh stares disapprovingly at both of them. “Are you two so busy fighting that you cannot see your own ship has set sail?!” He exclaims, and Zuko turns on his heel to glare at the old man.

“Now is not the time for your proverbs, Uncle!” He shouts. 

Iroh shakes his head. “It is not a proverb this time, Prince Zuko.” He points to the river, and Zuko follows his finger to see the Avatar and his friends riding the pirate’s ship away from the fight. 

"Bleeding hog-monkeys!" The Captain shouts, racing after the boat. Zuko laughs loudly, about to call after the man with a smug comment, when Iroh tugs at his sleeve.

“I would not relish your victory so soon, nephew,” He starts. “For your own ship has been boarded.” 

“What?” Zuko turns to see the pirates steering his catamaran after the pirate ship. “My boat!” 

It’s the Captains turn to laugh as Zuko chases after him now, and Zuko watches as the pirates steer his boat close enough to the rivers edge so the Captain can jump aboard. Zuko doesn’t let up though, continuing to run after them down the river. 

“It was nice meetin’ ya, boy!” The Captain calls with a wave. “I’ll be sure to give the Fire Lord your warmest regards when we collect the Avatar's bounty!” 

Zuko scowls again, running as fast as he can after the two boats. It doesn’t take long for him to fall behind, though that doesn’t stop him from seeing the action. As he runs, panting with every step, he furrows his brow at the sight of the stolen pirate ship turning in place. _Are they waterbending the boat?_ Zuko glances at his catamaran, headed straight for the ship halted in the water. _What are they doing?!_

Zuko continues to run, but realises he's too late as he watches the catamaran smash straight into the pirate ship. It doesn't take long for him to figure out the predicament the Avatar had been in, as soon after colliding the two ships crash over the waterfall; his ticket home and his means of travel disappearing from view. 

As he reaches the edge of the waterfall, he slows to a stop, daring himself to peer over the edge. Much to his surprise, the Avatar’s bison flies right by him; it’s passengers all safely inside the saddle. Zuko doesn’t miss the way the Waterbender glares at him, and he returns it, holding eye-contact as they fly away from the cliff.

“Prince… Zuko…” Iroh huffs as he finally catches up. “Did… did they get… away?” 

“Of course they did!” Zuko replies, watching the bison disappear into the sky. “And the boat is ruined too! Things can’t possibly get worse.” Zuko truly believes it as well, which is why when his Uncle sheepishly admits that the lotus tile they had been after was in his sleeve the whole time, he doesn’t think twice about chucking it over the waterfall. _I won’t let them escape next time,_ he thinks as the token sails over the cliff and into the waters below. 

_Not for a stupid Pai Sho tile, anyway._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used:
> 
> Omajualuk! - Monster!
> 
> Itialuit! - Damn you!  
> (All Inupiaq ^)
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	11. Jet: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A band of rebel guerillas with a charming, rogueish leader rescues Aang, Katara and Sokka as they're fleeing a camp of Fire Nation soldiers. Sokka's instincts tell him that they're bad news, but Katara's not interested in hearing about it as it was his instincts that got them into danger in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOSH, I'm so sorry about how long this took to get out. This chapter beat me senseless and then still demanded I write it. But!!! Here we are, with another two-parter (I'm so sorry). 
> 
> INFO:   
> So... The language. The language Jet speaks. The language-specific to Jet and his little band of freedom fighters. Jet's language. 
> 
> I literally could not for the life of me convince myself to try and write this out. I am a huge fan of the headcanon from my favourite language post that I so frequently mention, where Jet and the freedom fighters have invented their own language—a pidgin language! This is a combination of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation and I believe it would sound SO STRANGE that trying to write it out so that you, the reader, can read it, just defeats the purpose. However, it's easier to explain: If you're interested, you can check out a video titled 'What English Sounds like to Non-English Speakers' by Gary Couturie on Youtube, and that will put into perspective how the language of our beloved Freedom Fighters sounds to Sokka, Katara, and Aang. Of course this isn't necessary, you can just read this chapter and it'll make enough sense, but I figured I'd put my sources anyway :3

* * *

  
  


_ “ _ _ You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people.” _

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“We better get moving.” Sokka fiddles with the animal trap for a moment more. “These are Fire Nation traps; you can tell by the metalwork.” 

Momo scurries around his ankles for a few seconds before darting away to sit on Aang’s shoulders. It’s clear to Sokka the lemur is also ready to leave; he can’t imagine being trapped in a cage for a few hours is something Momo enjoyed.

“Sokka’s right, there could be a camp nearby,” Katara adds, glancing around the forest foliage. “Let’s get packed up.” 

It had been a day or two since they escaped the pirates, and they’d spent most of that time recuperating; hidden away in a forest with tall trees, their leaves all different shades of red. While it was quite beautiful, Sokka hadn’t been too excited to surround himself with the colour and had been itching to get a move on already; he wanted them to be as far away from the Fire Nation as he could get. He wouldn’t admit it to Aang, but he almost missed the endless blue of the ocean from when they had no clue where they were going. 

“Alright, buddy,” Sokka hears Aang say to Appa. “You ready to fly?” 

“Wait,” Sokka says, approaching them both with a frown. “I don’t think we should fly this time.” 

Aang furrows his eyebrows, his hand resting on the bison’s furry head. “What? We’ve always flown!” 

“Yeah, and we’re always getting caught by the Fire Nation,” Sokka counters. He sighs, gesturing to the bison. “Appa’s not exactly hard to miss; a flying bison with a giant arrow on his head might as well be a huge target in the sky that screams ‘Come and get me, it’s me, the Avatar’.” 

“Appa doesn’t have a target,” Katara dismisses as she rolls up a parka. “You’re just being paranoid.” 

Sokka glares half-heartedly at her, which she pointedly ignores while continuing to pack. “Seriously, we don’t have the best track record flying with this guy.” The bison growls softly, and Sokka pats his furry leg. “Sorry pops.” 

Katara hands a basket to Aang who jumps up to place it into Appa’s saddle. “I don’t think Appa’s as noticeable as you’re implying,” She says as Aang shuffles around with the supplies. “We fly in the clouds most of the time, and Appa blends right into those.”

Aang nods, floating back down beside them. “Katara makes a good point, Sokka,” He says. “The last few times we’ve been caught, we were really attracting attention to ourselves; the pirates and Roku’s temple were both our fault.” 

Sokka hears Katara mutter something else in Water Tribe, just catching the last word, and he raises one eyebrow at her. “What was that about my soulmate?” 

Katara gapes at him, a scowl quickly taking over her features. “That’s not what I—” 

“You have a soulmate?” Aang interrupts. When Sokka nods, he beams. “That’s so cool! When did you meet them?” 

Katara drops her pack suddenly, drawing the attention of the two of them. She glares at the two of them, mouth opening and closing a few times before she curses to herself, picking up the pack and walking around the other side of Appa while grumbling.

“What’s her problem?” Sokka asks, turning to face Aang.

Aang shrugs. “I’m sure she’s just upset that we have to walk,” He says. Appa growls from beside him, eliciting a giggle from the Airbender. “I know  _ you’re _ upset, buddy.” 

“I don’t see how that relates to my soulmate,” Sokka mutters as he continues to pack up. “Besides, it’s not even like they’re relevant.” 

“Why’s that?” Aang asks curiously, handing Sokka a few more supplies for him to pack. 

Sokka sighs. “I guess I missed my meeting with them.” He fiddles a bit more with the straps before shrugging it over his shoulders. “Before you say anything,  _ no,  _ I’m not devastated. I’ve never met them; I can’t read the name; it’s not a big deal.” 

“Wow, how did you manage to miss something like that?” Aang asks. “The monks always said that meeting a soulmate was a moment you’d never forget; that you’d know right away.” 

“Good to know I’m making history,” Sokka says with an eye roll. “Our mom used to tell me stories like that as well, but that was a long time ago. Maybe things changed, and this kind of thing just isn’t as important anymore.” 

Aang hums thoughtfully, tugging his own bag over his shoulders. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t read the name?” When Sokka nods, Aang smiles. “Maybe I could try!” 

“No offense Aang, but you told me Suki’s name was ‘love’.” Sokka tosses a few more things into Appa’s saddle before walking around to see Katara, Aang trailing behind him. 

“I could at least tell you what language it is,” Aang persists. “Maybe. I guess I couldn’t really tell on Kyoshi either...” 

“You heard him.” Katara appears, scowling again at the two of them. “He doesn’t care about his soulmate. Let’s just start walking.” 

Sokka rolls his eyes. “I get it; I’m the bad guy. I didn’t realise you’d get so upset over walking,” He says, holding his hands up. When Katara ignores him, he starts walking, taking up the lead. “Just trust me on this; my instincts say walking is our best bet right now.” 

“Instincts?” Katara asks, her footsteps picking up as she walks after Sokka. “That’s what we’re going off of?”

Sokka glances over her shoulder at her. “Uh, yeah,” He says pointedly. “We are.” 

“And what do we do if your instincts lead us right to ponytail guy?” Katara argues. “Who made you the boss anyway? Did your instincts do that too?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes a little. “I’m not the boss, I’m just trying to avoid getting us caught,” He retorts. “What’s your problem, Katara? It’s not like I’m suggesting anything crazy.” 

Katara appears at his side suddenly, keeping pace with him as they walk. “I’m just saying, maybe your instincts are the reason we’re getting into trouble,” She counters, jabbing him in the shoulder. “But whatever, we’ll try it your way.” 

Sokka scowls, rubbing his arm as Katara storms away from him to take the lead. Aang passes him, giving Sokka a sympathetic glance before jogging up to walk beside Katara, where he starts to talk in hushed whispers. 

_ What was that even about?  _ Sokka thinks, irritated with the sudden lashing out from his sister.  _ She can’t really be that upset over having to walk.  _ That means the other reason for her anger is apparently his soulmate, but that didn’t make sense either. Perhaps she’s just a little bothered that he didn’t tell her right away, and this is just run-off from earlier.  _ Girls are weird.  _

“Who knows,” Aang says to Katara, pulling Sokka from his thoughts. “Maybe walking will be fun!” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Walking stinks!” Aang finally cries out after a half-hour of walking. “How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes as Katara replies with some dig at his ‘instincts’ from behind him, trying his best to tune her out. Her weird behaviour from before their walk had really gotten on his nerves, especially considering it had been entirely out of nowhere, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to be taunted some more. For a good portion of the walk, Sokka had made a point to avoid her, and it seemed Katara was doing the same; clinging to Aang’s side wherever they went. It didn’t bother Sokka really; he didn’t need anyone to keep him company. 

Of course, he’d said as much after Katara had made an insulting comment earlier in the walk, which just earned him some more ‘instincts’ teasing.  _ ‘I’m sure your instincts keep you company’... yeah whatever, Katara.  _

“Hey Sokka,” Aang starts suddenly, appearing at his side. “Would your instincts mind—” 

“Okay, look,” Sokka interrupts, stopping in his tracks. He turns to face Katara and Aang, the former giving him a smug smile. “I get that this isn’t ideal, but is the teasing really necessary?” 

Katara hums thoughtfully, putting a finger to her chin before smiling wickedly. “I’d say it’s necessary,” She says. She puts her hands on her hips. “Oh Sokka’s instincts, does Sokka know we’re a lot easier to catch on foot?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes, turning back around to continue walking. “I’m ignoring you now,” He says, pushing through some bushes. 

“Oh wait,  _ Sokka’s instincts _ ,” She continues. “Did you tell Sokka that if we get caught, it will be  _ his _ fault, not Appa’s?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes, grabbing his club to hack away some of the foliage. “I take full responsibility for that if it happens,” Sokka says monotonously. “I’ll also be the one to get us out of danger, so there’s that.” 

“Oh, really?” Katara says with a scoff, breaking the instincts joke for a moment. “With what, your boomerang? The warrior skills that you taught yourself? Hey, Sokka’s instincts—”

Sokka whips around after cutting away the last of the brush. “I’ll have you know that Suki taught me plenty more warrior skills that I use now,” He says, pointing a finger at her. “Besides, speak for yourself; your waterbending scroll hardly compares to my training.” 

“Oh yeah?” Katara retorts. “Did your instincts tell you that?” 

“So what if they did!” 

“I’d like to see your instincts against my waterbending!” 

“Uh, guys?” Aang quietly interrupts, and Sokka closes his mouth, his retort still on the tip of his tongue. Katara huffs angrily as Sokka turns his attention away from her and to Aang, who rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I think your instincts led us right to one of those camps you were talking about.” 

He points to the brush Sokka had cut away moments before, and Sokka turns around to look through the foliage, his heart sinking as the clearing comes into view. A group of Fire Nation soldiers all stand, weapons raised, gaping at the trio that just barged into their campsite.

Katara nudges Sokka’s shoulder, “Now would be a good time for those warrior skills,” She mutters, though the bite in her voice from before is gone.

Sokka swallows the lump in his throat. “What about your waterbending,” He says, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice. “I’m sure we could use some of that.”

“ Xỳā yụ̄n xyū̀ trng nận h̄emụ̄xn khn k̄helā! ” A soldier barks out suddenly, gesturing wildly to them with fire in his palms. “ Rạb phwk k̄heā!”

“Run!” Sokka shouts. He grabs Katara and Aang by the shoulder, pulling them to the left to run through the loose foliage, only to be stopped by a wall of fire blocking their path. The heat on his back is enough to let Sokka know that the soldiers have ignited the forest on both sides, effectively trapping them into the clearing.

Sokka takes a deep breath before aiming his club at the soldiers. “We promise not to hurt you if you let us go,” He warns with as much authority as he can muster.  _ Please believe me _ . Sokka knows a losing fight when he sees one, and he’s sure the soldiers can too, but it doesn’t hurt to hope. 

The soldier who shouted first laughs loudly, crushing Sokka’s hopes that they wouldn’t call his bluff.

“You? A child?” He taunts, his accent distorting the Earth Kingdom words. “Hurt us?” The man continues to laugh, encouraging some other soldiers to join in.  _ Way to go, instincts. _

Katara gasps suddenly as one of the soldiers in the camp collapses, clutching his chest as he goes down. Sokka furrows his eyebrows as another follows suit, the laughter dying down amongst the men.

“Sokka, how did you do that?” Aang whispers from behind him. Sokka doesn’t get the chance to respond as Katara gasps loudly, pointing to three trees above them.

“Look!” She exclaims. A lone figure leaps down from the trees, swinging along the branches using a pair of hooked swords. The stunned soldiers watch with them as the figure, who turns out to be a boy about Sokka’s age, lands in the clearing, taking out four soldiers in the blink of an eye. 

“The trees!” One of the soldiers shouts, barking out some more orders in Fire Nation. More kids descend from above, pouncing on the soldiers, shooting them with arrows; it takes Sokka a second to remember he should also be fighting, and he tightens his grip on his club. 

Katara and Aang break off to do some bending, leaving Sokka alone in his corner. Not that it matters, he’s confident he can hold his own. Suki’s voice echoes in his head as he waits:  _ it’s about using your opponent’s strength against them.  _ Sokka can do that. 

An opportunity arises; a Fire Nation soldier headed straight for him with a spear. Sokka lets loose his best war cry, waiting for the right moment to strike, when the soldier gets kicked to the side by the boy from before.

“Hey!” Sokka exclaims, glaring as the boy gives him a smirk. “I had that one!” The boy offers a small salute in response before turning to fight another group of soldiers, leaving Sokka enemy-less once more. While he’d generally consider no enemies to be a good thing, getting upstaged by some guy with flashy swords didn’t make Sokka feel great, exactly.

Watching the boy continue to fight just makes Sokka angrier; with his stupid swords and stupid kicks. He’d be impressed if the boy wasn’t obnoxious and clearly just trying to show off, and even then Sokka doesn’t think he’d give him any credit.

Footsteps to Sokka’s left alert him of a new attacker, and he whips around with his club raised. Of course, the soldier is down before Sokka can even defend himself; knocked unconscious by another soldier’s spear, thrown after the boy from before disarmed its owner.  _ Seriously?!  _ He hadn’t  _ once  _ intercepted Katara or Aang, and Sokka’s starting to think he’s being picked on in some way. 

The last soldier falls, and Sokka stops himself from fake-gagging when the boy who kept intercepting his attacks immediately approaches Katara to smirk at her, hooded eyes and a dumb piece of wheat in his mouth. He can’t hear what they say, but he’d bet money that Katara was being hit on and, not wanting to be subjected to that, he tunes them out. 

“That was amazing!” He hears Aang exclaim over his thoughts. “You took out a whole army, almost single-handedly!” 

“Army?” Sokka scoffs, rolling his eyes. “There were only like, twenty guys.” 

“I’ve never seen swords like that before,” Katara gushes, and Sokka makes the executive decision to leave the area before anything unwanted reaches his ears. Aang seems to make the same decision, walking over to some of the other kids still standing in the clearing. Sokka watches the Airbender talk, eyes bright and hands gesturing wildly as he does, before he turns to Sokka to wave him over. 

Albeit reluctantly, as Sokka really just wanted to sulk for a minute or two, he heads over to where Aang practically vibrates with excitement next to the group of kids. 

“Sokka! You’ve gotta hear this crazy language,” He says, gesturing to the shortest kid in the group. 

Sokka folds his arms over his chest, waiting as the kid clears his throat, and when he speaks, Sokka has to admit he’s a little shocked. He’s never heard anything like it before; the words sound like nonsense, with hints of familiarity laced throughout the dialect. He can practically feel his ears straining to latch onto something that makes sense.

“What language is this?” Sokka asks after the kid stops speaking. “I’ve never—”

“It’s Freedom Fighter,” A voice interrupts from behind. Sokka turns, almost scowling right away as he sees who it is. It’s the taller boy, the one who kept showing Sokka up, with Katara trailing along behind him. Sokka swears he sees hearts in her eyes. “That was some impressive fighting you did out there.” 

Sokka rolls his eyes a little.  _ You mean before you took down every guy I had?  _ “Why have I never heard of ‘Freedom Fighter’ before?” he asks, ignoring the compliment. He doesn’t miss the look Katara shoots him, basically telling him to be nice to her new boyfriend. 

“Because we invented it,” The boy replies, seemingly unaware of Sokka and Katara’s stare-off. He gestures to the kids before popping a piece of wheat in his mouth. “I’m Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters: Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak.” 

“You named your language after your group?” Sokka asks, tuning Aang out as he inquires over the other kids’ names. 

“Sure did.” The boy smirks again, and Sokka decides that it’s the most infuriating expression a human being could make.

“And you invented it?” Sokka presses on, pointedly ignoring Katara’s glare this time. “It sounded familiar.” 

Jet shrugs. “We borrow from some languages, recycle some terms.” He nods at the kid named Sneers; Sokka doesn’t want to get into how weird these kids’ names are. “This guy spent a lot of time as a Fire Nation prisoner, so we have a little of that mixed with a little of Earth Kingdom, which is where most of us are from.” 

“Hey, the Air Nomads did stuff like that too!” Aang says suddenly. “Before the war, monks would travel to different nations and learn the local language, bringing back their favourite parts.” 

“I bet  _ they _ didn’t say they invented it,” Sokka mutters. Jet chuckles a little before pointing at Aang. 

“You’re the Avatar, aren’t you?” When Aang nods enthusiastically, Jet smirks. “I actually have a couple of Air Nomad relics, believe it or not.” 

Aang gapes at Jet. “Really!?” He exclaims. “That’s amazing; how did you get them?” Sokka has to stop himself from rolling his eyes at how easily his two friends are won over.

“You’d be surprised what some of these kids bring in when we find them,” Jet replies with a shrug. “They’re over at our hideout; you guys wanna come see?” 

Sokka’s not really surprised when Katara’s the first to say yes, stumbling over her words nervously. He’s never seen her this lovestruck before, and frankly, it’s a little annoying; especially considering the guy seems like the worlds biggest douche. What’s even more surprising is that Aang is perfectly fine with it. Sokka was sure Aang would at least be a little bothered by the flirt-fest; you’d have to be blind to miss the heart eyes he gave Katara, and even then it’s not like Aang was subtle. After the Air Nomad relic comment though, Aang seemed more than willing to turn a blind eye to whatever’s going on with Katara.

Whatever, Sokka’s not that easily impressed. Not like Jet seemed to be trying to get on his good side; with his casual digs at Sokka’s instincts—likely due to Katara badmouthing him—Sokka’s fine to have a mutual hatred for the guy. Just makes it easier for them to get out of here as soon as they can, and get back on track to the North. 

Jet makes a quiet joke to Katara from the front of the group, eliciting an unusually high-pitched giggle from her, and Sokka sighs, rolling his eyes a little. Of course, with Katara utterly enamoured by the tall, dark and mysterious stranger, it could take them a little longer to get out of here than Sokka hopes for. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Of course, Katara blows up at Sokka over suggesting they leave. Aang isn’t as mad, but he’s certainly not helping, either. 

“Why would we leave?” The Airbender asks. “We just got here!” 

Katara scoffs. “Sokka’s instincts are just butthurt,” She says, giving Sokka a dirty look. 

“Hey, I’ve said it before I don’t like pitstops,” Sokka argues. “You can’t blame my instincts for wanting to get a move on.” 

“Actually I can, considering how useless they’ve been so far,” Katara mutters. “Why didn’t you rush us out of Kyoshi? Were your instincts distracted then?” 

Sokka can feel his cheeks heat up before he can help it. “That was different!” 

“I don’t think it was,” Katara counters. “And I think it’s a little unfair that you’re the one determining how long we stay in one place. Have you considered that  _ Aang  _ is our leader because he’s the Avatar?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes. “I’m not- this is ridiculous.” He rubs a hand over his face, glancing over at Aang. “I thought you were worried about that comet? Don’t you want to get to the North as soon as possible?” 

Aang blushes a little, clearly not expecting to be brought into the argument. “Well,” He starts slowly. “I don’t mind staying a  _ little  _ longer.” Sokka deadpans him, eliciting an apologetic smile from the young Airbender. 

“Whatever,” Sokka mutters. “I’m gonna go pack up, and then we’re leaving.” He stands and stretches, a little sore from sitting on the treehouse floor for so long.  _ Couldn’t have made your base a little more comfortable, Jet? _

“What’s going on, guys?” A voice starts, and Sokka looks up to see Jet standing in the doorway of their room. Another goddamn piece of grass is in his mouth, and Sokka has to refrain from rolling his eyes into next week. “How’re you liking our hide-out so far?” 

“We love it!” Katara says quickly. She gives Sokka a side-eye glare. “My brother is just being a bit of a downer and wants to leave.” 

Sokka opens his mouth to argue, but Jet beats him to the punch. “Sokka, you’re kidding me!” He exclaims, and Sokka’s brow furrows at the genuine disappointment in his voice. “I needed you for an important mission tomorrow.” 

The words ‘important mission’ catch his attention, and Sokka narrows his eyes a little. “What mission?” He asks. Jet had pretty much made it clear to Sokka that he didn’t think of him as a fighter, so it seemed like Jet was just trying to win him over as he had with Katara and Aang. 

He couldn’t deny, though, an important mission did sound pretty cool. 

“We’re scouting the forest for assassins,” Jet elaborates. “They often send them after we take out a camp; we could definitely use someone like you for that.” 

“Why me?” Sokka doesn’t ask where the sudden interest in his skills is coming from.

Jet smirks. “You’ve got the skills of a hunter, and that’s exactly what we need for finding an assassin.” 

A bit of pride swells in Sokka’s chest at the compliment, and it takes him a second to realise that there’s no way Jet should know that information just from observation. He glances at Katara, who gives him a knowing stare, and Sokka realises she must have said something to Jet. 

“Fine,” Sokka says, returning his gaze to Jet, who gives him another smirk. “We’ll stay for one more night.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“So,” Jet starts, popping a piece of grass into his mouth. “How long have you and your sister been travelling with the Avatar?” 

Sokka shrugs, feet crunching over the forest floor as they walk. “Not long,” He replies. “Just over two months now, I think.” 

“That’s cool.” Jet nods. Sokka hums, the silence settling over them like a thick blanket. While Sokka did appreciate Jet trying to reach out to him by offering to do the things he likes doing, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. It was just Jet, Sokka, and the forest. Jet’s friends had been with them at first, but they stopped at the first lookout tree, and the next was a minute or two in the next direction, meaning Sokka had a minute or two alone with a guy he considered to be a bit of an asshole. 

“Katara told me about the South Pole,” Jet says suddenly, breaking the silence. “Sounds like you guys had quite the adventure coming from a place like that.” 

Sokka bristles a little at the comment. “Yeah, well, the South’s not as dull as you’d think,” He remarks curtly. Sokka certainly wasn’t helping the awkward tension between them, but who could blame him? 

Jet holds up his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t trying to say it was,” He defends. “I just mean, the world’s a big place, ya know? I like hearing about it sometimes.” 

Sokka blinks. “Oh,” He says, feeling an embarrassed blush creep up his neck. “Well, the South Pole is as dangerous as the rest of the world, depending on who you are.”

“I don’t think I could survive the cold,” Jet says with a chuckle. Sokka rolls his eyes. 

“The cold is the least of your worries,” He says. “For one thing, you have to watch out for land and sea animals ten times the size of an adult male; all predators.” He relishes Jet’s shocked expression as he describes some of the, albeit rare, dangers of the South. “Then you have the risk of not being able to find food some winters, factors that are completely out of your control. Oh, and also the old Fire Nation sea mines laying around everywhere, which makes fishing a little dangerous.”

Jet shakes his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe most of that,” He says, expression hardening slightly. “But I can believe that the Fire Nation left their shit everywhere. They have no regard for anything.” 

Sokka nods, and Jet nudges his shoulder. “Hey,” He says softly. “Katara told me about your mom. My parents were murdered by the Fire Nation too.” 

“Oh, wow,” Sokka says, sucking in a breath quietly. “I’m uh, sorry to hear that.” 

“Don’t be,” Jet replies. “It was the Fire Nation who killed them. That’s the real enemy.” 

Sokka nods, his words echoing around in his thoughts for a moment.  _ The real enemy.  _ A bit of shame creeps in as Sokka thinks about his behaviour toward Jet up until this point. “Hey, Jet,” He starts, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I just wanted to apologise if I seemed, uh, cold or anything earlier. I was just—” 

“Feeling out of your element?” Jet interrupts, and when Sokka nods meekly, Jet smirks. “It’s cool; I know the feeling.” He knocks his fist into Sokka’s arm lightly. “We’re cool.” 

Sokka smiles a little as Jet slows to a stop beside a clump of trees. Sokka follows suit, standing beside the other boy as he fishes around in the foliage, pulling out a rope that disappears into the tree’s above. 

“Here,” Jet says, handing the end of the rope to Sokka. “Let’s get up there and start scouting.” 

It doesn’t take long to climb into the lookout spot, which Sokka realises is just an empty tree. He was half expecting another small treehouse base, but he rationalises that subtlety was likely in mind when setting up the locations. Once up in the trees, Sokka gets right to work; jamming the jawbone knife he brought with him into the tree trunk and putting his ear to the handle. 

“What are you doing?” Jet asks, and Sokka holds up a finger. 

“It amplifies vibrations; I’ll be able to hear people walking below us,” He replies. Jet mutters something like ‘impressive’ under his breath, but Sokka’s focus is on the knife handle. 

“There’s nothing yet,” Sokka continues, straining his ears for the slightest of sounds. “Wait! Someone’s coming.” 

Sokka looks through the foliage and onto the path below, scanning the area for any potential assassins. When his eyes land on a small, old man with a cane, he shakes his head. “Nevermind, false alarm,” He says. “Just an old man.” 

Jet doesn’t seem to hear him though, signalling to the other lookout position with one of the bird calls they discussed on the way over. Sokka turns to clarify, watching in horror as Jet leaps down from the trees, landing in front of the old man with his swords drawn. 

The old man is startled and then confused when Jet starts shouting things at him in Freedom Fighter. Sokka watches the man turn to try to run the other way, only to be blocked by Pipsqueak’s massive frame.

“P-please,” The old man begs. “I’m just a traveller!” When Jet laughs wickedly at the man’s pleas, Sokka decides that this is over. He climbs down the rope as quickly as he can, getting to the ground just as Jet starts threatening the man in Earth Kingdom. 

“Do you like destroying families?” He demands. “Do you like destroying towns? Do you!?” 

“Jet!” Sokka exclaims, racing forward to grab him right before the boy can attack the old man. “What are you doing?!” 

Jet whips around with an expression so full of pure hatred, Sokka’s stunned for a moment. “He’s Fire Nation!” He shouts, turning back to the man. “Search him!” Smellerbee and Pipsqueak pin the old man down, roughly searching his coat and bag. 

“Jet, he’s just an old man,” Sokka argues, grabbing the boy again. “He’s not hurting anybody!” 

Jet shoves Sokka’s hand off him, turning back to face him again. “Don’t you remember what they did to your mother? Remember why you fight!” 

“We’ve got his stuff!” Smellerbee announces, holding up a bag full of the old man’s things. Sokka’s eyes dart between the Freedom Fighters and the old man, unsure if the events unfolding in front of him are actually happening. 

“This doesn’t feel right,” Sokka mutters.

“It’s what has to be done,” Jet says while shoving past him. “Let’s get out of here!” 

Sokka stands numbly as the other Freedom Fighters follow Jet. He stares at the old man, still cowering on the ground, and feels a sick feeling form in his stomach. 

“P-please…” The old man whispers weakly. 

“Sokka, come on!” Jet calls and Sokka blinks a few times. “Let’s go!” 

Sokka takes a step back, closing his eyes as he turns away from the old man to run after Jet and the others. He tunes out the whimpering as he leaves, not wanting to accept that it was real.  _ I thought we were after an assassin _ . Jet nods as Sokka approaches, turning back around to lead the group back to the hide-out.  _ I thought we were after the Fire Nation.  _ The situation puts Sokka at war with himself, because while he desperately wants to leave and get as far away from Jet as possible, he can’t help but think about other innocent people Jet may have harassed. The old man weighs heavily enough on his conscious, and leaving him was hard on Sokka; he can’t let that happen to other people. 

Once back at the hide-out, Sokka makes a beeline for the hut where they’ve been staying. He’s halfway through packing his things when Katara and Aang arrive, excitedly asking for Jet. 

“He’s not here,” He says curtly. “It doesn’t matter; we’re leaving.” 

“Aw, what?” Aang says sadly. “I still haven’t seen the Air Nomad stuff.” 

Sokka scowls. “I’m pretty sure Jet was lying about that, Aang.” He angrily shoves his things into his pack, turning to pack Katara’s belongings next. 

“I thought your mission with Jet would change your mind,” Katara comments, and Sokka scoffs. 

“If anything, it made it more clear that we need to leave as soon as possible,” He says.

“Sokka,” Katara says, setting down the object in her hands. “What happened?” Sokka glares at the weird-looking hat she placed down before turning his attention to her. 

“Your boyfriend Jet’s a thug,” He says coldly. 

“What?” Katara asks incredulously. “No, he’s not.”

“He’s messed up, Katara,” Sokka retorts. “Worse than the stupid Fire Nation royal freak who’s been following us.” 

“Don’t say that!” Katara shouts. “Jet is a hero!” 

“He beat and robbed a harmless old man!” Sokka yells back, standing up quickly. Katara gapes at him, blinking rapidly before shaking her head. 

“I don’t-” She sighs, looking up at Sokka with a hardened expression. 

“I want to hear Jet’s side of the story.” 

  
  


* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God what a cliffhanger......... can't wait to see what happens next
> 
> Non-English words used:  
> (Fire Nation soldier speaking to the other soldiers in the camp)  
> อย่ายืนอยู่ตรงนั้นเหมือนคนเขลา!/Xỳā yụ̄n xyū̀ trng nận h̄emụ̄xn khn k̄helā! - Don’t stand there like a fool!
> 
> รับพวกเขา!/Rạb phwk k̄heā! - Get them!  
> (All Thai) 
> 
> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	12. Jet: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka struggles to convince Aang and Katara that Jet isn't who they think he is; but when Sokka finally lands the ultimate evidence to back up his claims, he's threatened with his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again lovely readers, fun fact, I actually have a Tumblr! https://pwincessazuwa.tumblr.com/  
> It's nothing fancy, just me reblogging things that are zukka and atla related. I figured I'd plug it here because I just finished making it look all pretty. So check it out if you want :D 
> 
> NOTE ABOUT 'FREEDOM FIGHTER' LANGUAGE (because I actually had to use it in this chapter):  
> So I was a little lazy here actually. I just used some 'Fire Nation' (written in Thai), some 'Earth Kingdom' (written in English, because Sokka understands it), and some parts of 'Freedom Fighter' that Sokka doesn't understand (written with an ellipsis). For example, here's a sentence that literally spoils nothing: "Fạng khuṇ ca mị̀—blow up—…—cnkẁā c̄hạn ca h̄ı̂ s̄—... " This is meant to look fragmented and unreadable/unintelligible to both the reader and Sokka :D In the chapter prior, I mentioned that some words could be understood because they borrowed from other languages, here I just put it into play. Obvi the translations are at the end :3
> 
> Anyways I'll stop talking now, enjoy this chapter <3

* * *

  
  


_“Let me guess, your instincts told you?”_

_“Hey, sometimes they’re right [...] And sometimes they’re wrong.”_

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Sokka, you told them what happened, but you didn’t mention the guy was Fire Nation?” 

Katara shoots Sokka a glare. “No, he conveniently left that part out.” 

“Fine!” Sokka exclaims, throwing his hands up. “But it doesn’t matter; he was still a harmless civilian who happened to be Fire Nation.”

Jet shakes his head, reaching over to dig around in the sack that sits beside him. “You’re wrong, Sokka,” he says, pulling out something draped in cloth. “He was an assassin, sent to kill me after we cleared that camp.” Jet pulls the fabric away, revealing a wickedly curved knife, complete with a small vial at the base of the handle. 

“I didn’t see any knife,” Sokka says in an accusatory tone. 

“You can’t always trust a weak old man,” Jet replies calmly, and Sokka remembers the old man who ratted out Haru’s father. “That knife was concealed, and this compartment—” Jet gestures to the vial— “is for poison. You helped save my life, Sokka.”

“Save it,” Sokka mutters. “I know what I _didn’t_ see.” He storms off without waiting for a response, ignoring the frustrated groans Katara sends his way.

After the ‘weak old man’ comment, Sokka had absolutely heard enough from the rebel leader. It was clear to Sokka that Jet was just trying to use shit Katara had told him to try and manipulate the people around him. It had worked once before; it wasn’t going to work again. At least, it wouldn’t work on him. Katara and Aang obviously couldn’t see Jet’s true colours, which made leaving early harder than it had to be. He knew he couldn’t force them, and there was no point in going by himself, considering he wasn’t the one who needed to master all the elements before the world ended. _I need to show Aang and Katara somehow._ Of course, showing them meant catching Jet doing another horrible act on a random civilian, and Sokka didn’t really want to wait around for the guy to commit another crime. _Not like he’d let me go on another mission after everything I just said._

After making it back to their hut, Sokka realises he’s made this so much harder than it had to be. He should’ve waited until he had more proof, something to back up his claims. In retrospect, claiming that the guy who saved them from a Fire Nation camp liked to beat up old men in his free time wasn’t Sokka’s best idea. _Of course, they’d want his side of the story._ He wouldn’t have believed Katara if she made claims that Suki liked to commit acts of murder on the side.

“There you are,” A voice says from behind him, and Sokka sighs quietly at Katara’s already-pissed-off tone of voice. “You know, you didn’t have to be so rude to Jet after all he’s done for us.” 

Sokka sits down on a nearby cot, facing Katara. “You mean all he’s done for _you guys,_ ” He clarifies. “Patronizing me and then making me out to be the bad guy isn’t exactly something I praise strangers for.” 

Katara folds her arms, leaning against the doorway. “Well, you were no better trying to make _Jet_ out to be a thug,” Katara retorts, and Sokka groans, running a hand through his hair. 

“He _is_ a thug, Katara,” He says exasperatedly. “He’s everything I said and more; he’s just very good at covering up his issues.” 

Katara scoffs. “As if you don’t have issues of your own,” She says, narrowing her eyes at him. “We trust Jet, and we’re not leaving until we feel like we’ve helped him enough.” 

“And when is that?” Sokka challenges. “When you’ve got blood on your hands?” 

“You’re so immature!” Katara says indignantly. “Jet has been nothing but kind and helpful to us; he deserves some respect.” 

“I’ll respect him when he actually does some good for once,” Sokka mutters. Picking fights with the innocent wasn’t on Sokka’s ‘worthy of respect’ list. 

“For your information, Jet is planning on saving this forest from the Fire Nation,” Katara says matter-of-factly. “He needs our help to fill a nearby reservoir so that we can stop them from burning the whole place down.”

Sokka scoffs. “Sure,” He says with an eye-roll. “Did he also say it’s an important mission that only you can help him with?”

“He did! And you know what?” Katara asks. “I think you’re just jealous that Jet didn’t ask you.” 

Sokka chuckles a little. “Really?” He asks incredulously. “In case you forgot, Katara, _I can’t waterbend_ ; Jet wouldn’t have asked me in the first place.” 

“Well- then you’re jealous of Jet!” Katara exclaims, her expression twisting. “Because he’s a better warrior and a better leader than you ever could be!” 

Sokka rolls his eyes again. “Okay, now you’re just being ridiculous.” Sokka waves his arms. “I’m not jealous of Jet; I’m only saying this because my instincts—”

“ _Your instincts_ are what got us into trouble in the first place!” Katara interrupts, pointing her finger at him. “Which Jet had to save us from, by the way.” 

“Okay, seriously—”

“ _My_ instincts are telling us that we should stay and save the forest,” Katara continues. “And you better not try to stop us!”

“Fine!” Sokka exclaims as Katara turns to storm out of the room. “Don’t come crying to me when he hurts the elderly! Again!” 

After hearing no response, Sokka assumes Katara has officially stormed out of earshot and drops his head into his hands, scowling at the floorboards. _Whatever. She can find out the hard way if she wants._ If she wants to be stubborn and lovestruck and ignore all the red flags, Katara can do as she pleases. It’s not like it’ll bother Sokka. 

_Ugh,_ Sokka thinks. _It will bother you, and you know it._ The annoying voice in his brain is right; Sokka can’t let anything bad happen, _knowing_ that it’s going to happen. He curses himself for the conversation he just had with Katara. If he’d only been a _little_ more apologetic, he could have gotten some more information out of her about this forest fire plan. With the information he had, Sokka would have to do some snooping on his own. Which was fine; he could do with a little stealth for a change. 

He’ll need to keep an eye out from now on. _Anything Jet does, I’ll have to be watching,_ He thinks as he lies back on the cot. 

_After a little nap, though._

  
  


* * *

  
  


Sokka stirs from his sleep, awoken by hushed whispers and distorted words. He’s about to force his brain back to its slumber when he remembers his plan and forces his eyes open. 

It’s dark out, very dark actually. None of the torches are lit, and the sound of Aang snoring softly can be heard in the next room. Sokka blinks a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust before he stands and stretches. Katara isn’t in their room, but he sees her curled up on the ground when he creeps out into the small hut’s living room. _Good to know she’s still mad at me._ Sokka quietly covers her form with a blanket before sneaking out of the hut, straining his ears and his eyes for any sign of the disturbance that woke him. 

His eyes focus on a few torches bobbing in the distance, and Sokka makes his way down from the treehouse. He keeps the group in view, the light from the torches confirming that he’s following Jet and a few other Freedom Fighters. 

“Fạng khuṇ ca mị̀—blow up—…—cnkẁā c̄hạn ca h̄ı̂ s̄—...” _Blow up?_ Sokka focuses on their words as he follows, trying to understand what he can from their language. He’s grateful that the Freedom Fighters decided to use some Earth Kingdom when inventing their unintelligible nonsense, though less appreciative of the overwhelming Fire Nation he can hear. _For a guy who hates firebenders, he really used a lot of their language._

“Læ̂w—village—l̀a? ...—Ā ca mị̀ t̄hūk—flooded?” A quiet voice asks, and Sokka furrows his brow. _Flooded? Village?_ The group stops as they reach a cliffside, and Sokka quickly hides in some bushes, frowning at Jet who crouches beside a young boy. _What are you planning?_

Jet says some quiet words to the boy, touching his shoulder gently before standing back up and gesturing to something over the ledge. Sokka strains his ears to listen, so focused on the sound of their voices that he completely misses the crunching of leaves behind him until it’s too late. 

“Hey—!” He exclaims, clawing at the massive hands yank him up by his wolf-tail. “Get off me!” Sokka’s captor—the big guy who Sokka can’t remember the name of—drags him roughly out of the foliage and toward the group of Freedom Fighters. Before he can really put up a fight, Sokka’s forced into a kneeling position with a sharp blade pressed instantly to his throat.

“Glad you could join us, Sokka,” Jet taunts as he saunters over. “The Duke, Longshot, Sneers; go take care of the dam.” Jet points at the big guy holding him, and the girl who holds the knife. “You two stay with me.” Sokka scowls, about to shout something at Jet, when the girl adjusts her grip on the blade’s handle, giving Sokka a brief glimpse of the handle. _The vial…_

“I knew it,” He growls, returning his gaze to Jet’s smug face. “I knew you were lying about the knife!” 

Jet chuckles lightly, popping a piece of grass between his lips. “I guess you’re smarter than I thought,” He says coolly. “It’s a good thing your sister’s in charge.” 

“She’s not the one in charge,” Sokka defends. The knife presses harder to his throat, and the girl who holds it gives him a wicked sneer. 

“You sure about that, ponytail?” She jeers. Sokka scowls, keeping his mouth shut to avoid giving her another reason to press any harder.

Jet chuckles again from above him. “She’s got a point, Sokka,” He says. “After all, aren’t you guys helping me out with our ‘forest fire’?” 

Jet phrases the question in a way that gives Sokka a sick feeling in his stomach, and he scowls up at the boy. “There is no forest fire, is there?” 

“Look at you,” He says, smirking as he lowers himself to a crouch. “Figuring this out on your own.” His smirk drops suddenly, replaced with a dark grimace. “Fire Nation soldiers have been terrorising a nearby village. I plan to free that village, once and for all.” Sokka frowns a little, wondering how Katara and Aang come into play for this plan when he remembers what one of the Freedom Fighters said. _Village. Flooded._ Jet’s instructions to ‘take care of the dam’ swim around with these thoughts and Sokka’s eyes widen as the dots connect.

“You’re going to flood the village,” He breathes. When Jet nods, not a trace of regret in his stupid smirk, Sokka scowls. The urge to lunge at another man and beat him senseless has never been stronger, but with the blade at his throat, Sokka forces himself to stay kneeling on the ground. “There are people living there, Jet!” He instead shouts. “Mothers and fathers and children!” 

Jet scowls, taking the grass from his mouth and flicking it as Sokka. “We can’t win without making sacrifices,” He mutters, standing up and walking away. 

“Katara and Aang shouldn’t be a part of this, Jet,” Sokka says in a low voice. “They don’t know what they’re doing, and if they did, they wouldn’t have helped you!” 

“Of course not, Sokka,” Jet growls back, turning around to face him again. “They wouldn’t understand.” His expressions shifts to something like hurt. “I thought you would, though.” 

“I understand plenty,” Sokka spits, scowling at the taller boy. “I understand that there’s nothing you won’t do to get what you want.” 

Jet goes silent for a moment, and Sokka wonders if he’s finally said something to change the other boy’s mind. He’s proven wrong, however, when Jet turns away from Sokka once again. 

“Just tie him up already,” He mutters. Sokka struggles as he’s grabbed by the shoulders, his arms forced outwards by the girl with the knife. As she maneuvers his hands together to tie them with rope, she gasps suddenly, grabbing one bare wrist and pulling it up to her face. She inspects the soulmark, expression twisting strangely, and Sokka idly wonders if he should’ve taken the extra minute to put on his wrist wrappings before leaving the hut.

“Jet,” The girl snarls after a minute. “Come fucking look at this.” Sokka tries to pull his hand back, but the girl just aims her knife at his throat again, effectively stopping his struggle.

Jet glances over his shoulder before walking back over, an annoyed expression on his features as he approaches. The girl holds Sokka’s hand out for display, palm up, and as he cocks his head to read the writing, Jet’s expression also twists oddly. Before Sokka knows it, he’s face to face with his own soulmark as Jet begins to scream at him.

“That’s fucking _rich_ !” Sokka winces at how tightly Jet holds his wrist in place, shaking the mark in his face. “You’re a dirty fucking traitor—does your sister know about this?! Huh? Does she know you’re one of _them_?!” 

Sokka furrows his brow, struggling to pull his hand away. “What are you talking—!” 

Jet shoves Sokka’s hand _hard_ into his face, bashing it against his nose. “Don’t fucking talk to me!” He shouts. Jet growls a few more obscenities at him before changing languages altogether, shouting words that Sokka can’t understand. _What the fuck is going on?!_

“You know what?” Jet says, dropping Sokka’s wrist suddenly. He glances at the two Freedom Fighters who have Sokka restrained. “Pipsqueak, Smellerbee; take him to the fucking village. Hide him somewhere and keep him tied up.” He glares down at Sokka. “Let him fucking die with the rest of them.” 

Sokka widens his eyes. “You’re sick!” He shouts as the girl resumes tying up his wrists. “You won’t get away with this!

Jet’s already walking away from them. 

“I already fucking have.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Move along, pretty boy.” 

“I’m not— okay seriously, pick a nickname already.” Sokka scowls at his captors. “Am I pretty, or am I a traitor?” 

Smellerbee punches his shoulder. _Hard._ “I should cut your tongue off already,” She snarls at him, the early morning sunlight glinting off the blade of the knife she points at him. “Not like you’ll need it soon, anyway.” 

“How can you both stand by and watch Jet commit mass murder?” He questions, ignoring the girl’s threat. “Don’t you see how corrupt he is?” 

“Jet knows what he’s doing,” Pipsqueak grunts from behind him, shoving Sokka as they walk. “Besides, we don’t care about opinions from people like _you_.” 

“You know, you keep saying that,” Sokka says, rolling the shoulder that was shoved. “And yet, I still haven’t received any explanations.” 

Pipsqueak grunts in response, frustrating Sokka further. Trying to get Jet’s buddies to open up about the boy’s freakout was impossible; every question was met with either a blow to his shoulder or a vague insult that just sparked more questions. 

“I saw other Freedom Fighters with marks,” Sokka continues. “Why don’t you threaten to kill them?” 

Smellerbee groans, rubbing her hands over her face. “Will you shut the fuck up already? I’m tired of hearing your annoying voice.” 

“My voice is _not_ annoying!” Sokka exclaims. A flash of light to his left draws his eyes to a small clearing where several piles of leaves lay. Sokka furrows his brow, slowing slightly as he recognises them as the traps from the other day, the one’s Momo got caught in, the sunlight glinting off of the exposed metal. _Could I…?_

Pipsqueak shoves him forward again, and Sokka blinks, picking up the pace. 

“How about we make a deal?” He asks, formulating a plan for distraction. “I stop talking, and you guys tell me what the problem is with Jet.” 

Smellerbee glances over her shoulder to shoot a scowl at him. “Jet’s not the problem,” She says. “I find it hard to believe you’re this stupid.” 

Sokka glances to the left, seeing another clearing approach with the same traps. _Good, there’s more_. “Oh, you better believe it,” He says, returning his attention to his captors. “Seriously I can keep this up all day, but I _promise_ to stop if you just tell me—” 

“Ugh,” Smellerbee groans, interrupting him. “Please, just stop. You should already know _why_ your soulmark is a problem, considering—” 

Sokka bolts off the forest path without waiting for her to finish, wanting to leave as little room as possible for recovery on their part. He feels the Pipsqueaks massive hands just brush the edge of his tunic as he slips away, dashing off into the forest.

“Hey—!” Sokka ignores their cries and shouts as he runs, the sound of their footsteps just a second behind him. He hops over the traps, disguised with leaves and berries, not wanting to turn around until he hears the satisfying _clang_ of his captors being hoisted up into the trees. 

“Get back here, you—!” Pipsqueak is cut off by the sound of metal snapping and rope spinning. Slowing to a stop, Sokka turns back around to see both Smellerbee and Pipsqueak high above the ground, no longer a danger to him. 

“You know what?” Sokka calls up to them. “You can explain it to me later. Looks like you’re both a little hung up right now.” He chuckles at his own joke. 

His chuckle is cut off with a yelp, and Sokka has to leap to the side to avoid being hit by the knife Smellerbee throws at him. With the blade half lodged into the ground instead of his chest, Sokka realises she’s just given him a way to get the rope off his wrists. 

“Thanks!” He chirps, pointedly ignoring her scowl. After sawing away at his bindings and massaging his wrists, Sokka salutes the two Freedom Fighters, jogging back to the forest path. He can only hope that Katara and Aang have somehow figured out Jet’s plan, but until he knows for sure, Sokka has to get to the village. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Luckily for Sokka, and unfortunately for Smellerbee and Pipsqueak, they hadn’t been that far away from the village when he tricked the two Freedom Fighters into trapping themselves. He was a little out of breath when he got there, but pumped full of adrenaline and ready to somehow convince everyone that they’re all in imminent danger.

Of course, if that didn’t sound easy enough, there was also the small matter of getting their attention first. 

Sokka’s already tried shouting ‘hey!’ once or twice, but most people in the town square he made it to seem to think he was crazy or homeless, giving him small glances of pity before continuing to mill around. Sokka’s getting frustrated until he finally spots some Fire Nation soldiers standing guard, and he does something that Sokka-from-two-hours-ago would have considered a bad idea.

“Excuse me!” He shouts, waving his hands to get the soldiers’ attention. “Hey, you guys!” 

They look over, nudging each other and smirking as Sokka approaches them. They look down at him with amused looks on their faces.

“What is it, kid?” The one on the left asks. 

“This village is in danger,” Sokka says, cutting right to the chase. “A group of kids in the forest are planning on blowing up the damn nearby; the water in the reservoir will flood the whole town.” He gestures to the village. “Everyone will die if we don’t evacuate right now.”

The soldiers share a glance before turning back to him with twin glares.

“You think it’s funny to play pranks on us?” One soldier asks. Sokka widens his eyes as they take a step toward him, hands outstretched to grab him. 

“Wait!” Sokka exclaims, ducking away from them. “I’m not joking around; a few days ago a Fire Nation camp was attacked by this group, surely you heard about it?” He holds his hands up, watching a look of recognition pass their faces.

“What do you know about that?” The soldier on the right asks, his voice far deeper than the one on the left. 

“I know the group has plans to rid this town of the Fire Nation,” Sokka continues. “But they’re going to kill everyone in the process; please we have to evacuate.” Whispers sound around him and Sokka realises a small crowd has gathered around them. _Good, hopefully, these people will believe me._

The soldiers don’t seem to appreciate the attention as much as Sokka, and one of them grabs his shoulder. “Alright kid, that’s enough,” He says, pointing his finger threateningly. “You’re coming with us for questioning; fear-mongering is a crime around here.” 

Sokka struggles as the other soldier grabs him by the elbow. “W-wait, please! Everyone’s going to—”

“Wait, sirs!” A fragile voice calls out, interrupting their struggle. “Sirs, please!” The soldiers cease their manhandling, and Sokka looks over his shoulder to see an old man weaving through the crowd. He uses his cane to make a path, and Sokka frowns. _He looks familiar_. “Sirs, please listen to him.” 

“What is he talking about?” One of the soldiers asks Sokka, and Sokka finally recognises that his potential saviour is the old man from the other day. _The one Jet attacked._

“Sirs,” The old man says once he’s close enough. “This young man tried to help me from those hooligans.” He gives the soldiers a grim look. “They ambushed me, robbed me blind; they’re capable of what he’s saying.” 

Sokka gives the soldiers one last pleading smile, feeling so very grateful for the old man’s presence. The soldiers look between each other before releasing Sokka’s gruffly. 

“If this is a joke,” One of them warns in a low voice. “You’ll be charged and imprisoned. Got it?” 

Sokka nods quickly. “Got it; now can we please evacuate?” He gestures to the townspeople who have gathered. “I’m not exactly sure how much time we have.” 

Thankfully, with the village population sitting comfortably under one-hundred, evacuation doesn’t take long. Sokka works quickly with the soldiers, helping civilians out of their homes and out of the valley, making sure no one is left behind. A few people make a bit of a stink with their belongings or houses, but everyone believes him for the most part.

(Sokka doesn’t like to think about how the townspeople might be going willingly because he has the Fire Nation army backing him up). 

They end up cutting it ridiculously close, Sokka ushering the very last of the villagers up the hill as an explosion sounds in the distance. It takes less than a minute for the water to arrive, shaking the ground as it crashes through the village with unstoppable force. Some villagers gasp and cry about family heirlooms that they couldn’t bring, but everyone seems mostly grateful, thanking Sokka. Even the soldiers apologise to him for not believing him right away. 

“You can understand our doubt,” says one of the soldiers from before. He purses his lips. “But… Thank you.” 

Sokka smiles weakly at him. “No problem, you guys are safe now.” It feels strange to be having such a mundane conversation with someone from the Fire Nation, but he pushes those concerns aside. 

“How did you know about their plan again?” Another soldier asks, and Sokka blinks. 

“Uh,” He says lamely. “I gotta go.” Sokka gives a small salute, ducking away before the soldiers can question him further. “Be careful cleaning up the village!” 

He turns and jogs back to the forest before anything else can be implied about his relationship with the forest terrorists. 

_First stop, find Appa and get our stuff out of Freedom Fighter territory._

_Next stop, save Katara and Aang._

  
  


* * *

  
  


Or, next stop save _Jet_ from Katara and Aang. 

When Sokka finally arrives on the back of Appa, Katara has the rebel leader pinned to a tree with ice. She whips water over and over at the boy’s face, practically drowning him.

“Katara!” Sokka calls, jumping down from Appa’s head. As much as he hates the guy, Sokka doesn’t want Katara to have murder on her conscience. Katara stops her bending at the sound of his voice and turns to face him, almost immediately bursting into tears as she runs over.

“ _I’m so sorry!_ ” She sobs in Water Tribe, throwing herself into Sokka’s arms. “ _The- the village, I couldn’t- I thought you were—”_

_“It’s okay,_ ” Sokka whispers, petting her hair gently. _“I’m okay.”_

Jet groans from his place on the tree, looking at Sokka and Katara weakly. 

“What…? W-what did you—” Jet coughs violently, water dripping from his chin. 

Sokka pulls away from Katara to approach the boy, glaring down at his frozen form. “I saved the village.” 

Jet scowls, wincing a little in the process. “How—?” Another cough interrupts his question. 

“Your friends aren’t as smart as you think,” Sokka explains, folding his arms over his chest. “Once I tricked them into trapping themselves, I ran to the village to warn them of your plan. 

“At first they didn’t believe me, but the old man you attacked vouched for me. Everyone got out on time, and the villagers are safe.” 

“No!” Jet exclaims, his voice weak. “D-Don’t you see? The valley will n-never be free because of you!” 

“Who would’ve been free, Jet?” Sokka asks, pointing his finger at him. “Everyone would be dead because of your corrupt plans.” 

Jet struggles within his icy prison. “You’re a traitor! I should have killed you on that cliff!” He flicks his gaze to Katara. “Katara, you can’t trust him, he’s got a—” 

Katara waterbends an ice-gag, effectively shutting him up. “Save it for someone who cares, _Jet.”_

Jet continues to struggle for a moment more before exhaustion takes over, and he succumbs to breathing heavily, glaring at the two of them. Sokka turns away, tugging Katara away with him as he walks back toward Appa. Aang stands beside the bison, patting his head gently as they approach, and when he sees Sokka, he looks down. 

“I’m sorry, Sokka,” The Airbender says quietly. “We shouldn’t have doubted your instincts.” 

Sokka rolls his eyes, a smirk climbing up his features at the mention of the very thing that got them into this mess. “C’mere,” He says, pulling Aang into a hug. 

Aang hops up onto Appa’s head after breaking away, taking the reigns between the bison’s horns. Katara and Sokka climb into the saddle, Katara giving Jet one last look of pity. 

“Yip Yip!” Aang says, and they take off into the sky, away from the rebel leader once and for all.

The ride is mostly silent until they pass over the destroyed village, and Sokka looks over the edge of Appa’s saddle to see the villagers all milling about in the town. Katara clears her throat, touching Sokka’s shoulder gently. 

“What did Jet mean,” She starts quietly. “When… when he said he should’ve killed you on the cliff?” 

Sokka sighs. “He caught me following them, and planned on sending me to the village tied up so I’d drown.” 

Katara gasps a little before scowling. “He’s a monster.” 

“I know,” Sokka agrees. “That’s not the weirdest part though.” Sokka rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sure he just wanted me out of the way for a few hours, but… when he saw my soulmark, that’s when he decided he wanted me dead.”

Katara gives him a strange look. “What?” 

“It was weird,” Sokka explains. “He saw it and just went nuts, talked about how I was a ‘dirty traitor’ and other things. I never got an answer as to why, but the other kids had similar reactions.” 

Katara’s silent for a moment, another peculiar expression on her features as she thinks. Finally, “Maybe he was just… jealous.” 

Sokka scoffs. “Really, Katara?” He asks incredulously. “He was all over you the entire trip; I don’t think seeing another _guy’s_ soulmark is enough to make him jealous.” 

Katara goes pink. “That’s not what I—!” She sighs. “I just mean, Jet told me that most of the Freedom Fighters had dead soulmates because of the Fire Nation. Maybe he was jealous that you had one and frustrated that you were actively working against him.” She shrugs. “Maybe they all felt like you were disrespecting them all at once.”

Sokka hums. “Maybe…” He scratches his head a little. “He seemed pretty mad at me specifically, though.” He shrugs loosely. “I’m sure if he’d have just let me explain that my soulmate doesn’t matter, he would’ve had a different reaction.” 

Katara gives him a weird smile. “I’m… glad you’re okay with not knowing who it is.” 

“I can’t miss someone I’ve never met,” Sokka says with another shrug. He frowns. “As much as I don’t care, though, I can’t deny that Jet’s reaction made me a little curious.” He glances at the where the mark sits under his wrist wrappings. “I still wish I could read it.” 

An awkward laugh bubbles out of Katara, and Sokka furrows his eyebrows at her. “You okay?” 

“Yep!” She says tightly. “I think we should find somewhere to eat soon; I’m getting pretty hungry. How about you, Aang? Are you hungry?” Katara scoots away from Sokka, who gives her a confused look as she practically runs away from him to talk to Aang. _Whatever, probably just misses having a nice guy to talk to._

Sokka tunes the two of them out after a minute or two, fingers brushing over the mark sitting under his wrist wrappings. 

Sokka doesn’t miss the wary glances Katara sends his way as he fiddles with the leather, unwrapping his wrist so he can see the dark lettering that lies beneath. As Sokka runs his thumb over his soulmark, more questions than usual work their way through his thoughts. _Maybe Katara’s right,_ he thinks as he turns his wrist over and over, _Maybe Jet was just upset._

Or perhaps there’s something bigger going on, and the spirits have given him a mystery to solve. It’s definitely more exciting than Katara’s reasoning, and he finds himself smiling a little as he runs his eyes over the mark. It’s not like Sokka really cared, but he’ll definitely have to ask Aang at some point to try and read it. He was curious at this point, and who knows, maybe if he knew the name he would remember them, unlocking the mysteries behind it.

_Oh well,_ he thinks, wrapping up the mark once more. 

_Maybe I’ll figure it out one day._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-English words used: 
> 
> [words in brackets are meant to be Earth Kingdom words]
> 
> Jet's first words to the Freedom Fighters:  
> ฟังคุณจะไม่—blow up—…—จนกว่าฉันจะให้ส—.../Fạng khuṇ ca mị̀—blow up—…—cnkẁā c̄hạn ca h̄ı̂ s̄—...  
> Listen, you won't—[blow up]—…—Until I give you—
> 
> The Duke's response (I don't specify that it's The Duke, but it is lol)  
> แล้ว—village—ล่ะ? ...—าจะไม่ถูก—flooded?/Læ̂w—village—l̀a? ...—Ā ca mị̀ t̄hūk—flooded?  
> What about —[village]—? ...— won't be —[flooded?]
> 
> Quick disclaimer:  
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	13. The Storm: Katara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an angler recognises Aang, the young Avatar is reminded of his past, and the forgotten mistakes he's made. Katara finds Aang cooped up in a cave where they wait out the storm, talking each other through their troubles with soulmates and the Avatar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, ladies and gentlemen, my province is finally getting this gd lockdown lifted! That means as of this Thursday I'll be back to work :) Updates might be slower, because I'm also doing some part-time online studies on top of this, but I'll try my best <3 
> 
> Please enjoy this Katara chapter for a change! I was pretty excited to write this one, it felt super natural to be a Katara-centric chapter, and we get a lot of insight on her feelings regarding some things. Also, I love Kataang so much but not enough to dedicate a fic to it, so this chapter is basically just Aang pining so hard and Katara being like "wow I love my friend Aang:)"

* * *

_ “I'm done dwelling on the past.” _

_ “Really?” _

_ “I can't make guesses about what would have turned out if I hadn't run away. I'm here now, and I'm going to make the most out of it.” _

  
  


* * *

**KATARA**   
  


“It’s good! It’s perfect, I’m telling you!” 

Katara frowns a little as she shakes the melon in her hands, the inner fruit sloshing around freely.

“I don’t think I like the sound of that swishing,” She admits, eyeing the melon carefully. She has reason to believe that the merchant woman is just trying to get rid of old produce, especially since she’s becoming increasingly desperate to get Katara to buy it. 

“Swishing means it’s ripe!” The merchant woman cries, throwing her hands up in the air. “It’s the, eh... ripe juices! They swish around!” 

Aang appears at her side, knocking on the melon with his knuckles. “I think she’s right, Katara,” He chirps. “Swishing means it’s ripe.” 

Katara frowns, glancing at the rest of the fruit at the woman’s stand. Even if Aang and the woman are wrong, it’s not like Katara’s other options are much better. Half of the produce seems to be covered in flies, and the other half sounds swishy on the inside.  _ I guess I don’t really have a choice _ .  _ We do need food, after all.  _

Albeit reluctantly, Katara shifts the melon to one hand, using the other to dig around in their coin pouch for some change. When she comes up empty-handed, she can’t help but feel a little relieved to have a reason to put the melon back. 

“Looks like we’re out of money,” She says, giving the merchant woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.” 

The woman grunts in response, coming around the stand to yank their basket out of Sokka’s hands. Sokka protests a little, and Katara tries not to giggle as he receives a kick in the rear in response, as well as a disgruntled ‘buy before you try’ from the woman.

“Great,” Sokka mumbles while rubbing his backside tenderly. “No money, no food; what are we supposed to do now?” 

Katara starts walking along the dock again, Aang and Sokka trailing behind her. “How about you get a job?” She asks as they pass another fruit stand filled with flies. She glances back to see Sokka raising an eyebrow at her, and shrugs at him. “You’re the one always saying we need a way to get more money.” 

“Where am I supposed to find a job?” He asks. It’s a valid question, considering there aren’t exactly many job offers for a subpar trading post like this one. Most merchants have what they need, and there’s no use for an extra hand or two. Even if there were, the chances of being paid enough to buy food are slim to none.

“—find someone else to haul that fish, because I ain’t comin’!” 

Katara’s ears tune into a conversation being had to their right, near the trading post docks. 

“ Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him  _ double _ what you get!” A gruff voice responds. 

“I’ll go!” Katara whips her head around to see Sokka has already approached the two elderly people talking, and offered himself in place of the woman. When he turns back to give them a thumbs up, he shrugs at Katara’s expression. 

“What?” He asks. “You said to get a job, and this guy’s paying double.”

The old man gives Sokka a strange look. “Who told you that?” 

Katara opens her mouth to correct the old man when a hand tugs at her sleeve. She turns to see Aang beside her, looking up at the sky nervously.

“Katara, I think we should find shelter,” He says, voice quiet and timid.

“What?” Katara raises an eyebrow, glancing up at the sky as well. “It’s a beautiful day out; what do we need shelter from?”

“Didn’t you hear that old woman?” Aang asks, gesturing to where Sokka continues to chat with the elderly couple. “She said there was going to be a terrible storm.” 

Katara frowns. She must have missed that part of the conversation. “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s clear skies right now,” She says, lips quirking into a small smile. “Besides, I think that old lady is just trying to get out of fishing.” She places her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. 

Aang’s cheeks darken a little, and he clears his throat as he turns his face to the side. “Uh, yeah,” He says. “Maybe you’re right.” As Sokka saunters back over, looking very proud of himself, Aang shrugs. “Maybe we’ll be able to buy those melons after all.” 

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Sokka replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think he’s paying me in fish.” Katara thanks the spirits privately.

  
Aang shrugs again. “I guess he is a fisherman.” He glances behind Sokka at the boat where the fisherman stands. “What’s the job description, anyway?”

Sokka looks over his shoulder as well. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say we’ll be doing some fishing,” He says sarcastically. “But for now I think I’m supposed to be stocking the boat with all that fishing gear.” Sokka gestures to the gear in question, all piled up in disarray, before turning back to Aang and Katara. “You guys can always help if you’ve got nothing better to do, but I don’t think he’ll pay us any more.” 

“That’s alright,” Katara replies, not really wanting to lug around a bunch of fishing gear for an hour. “Appa is probably getting lonely, so we’ll just go check on him.”

“Really?” Sokka deadpans. “You’d rather go keep a bison company than help me out?” He shakes his head at Katara’s expression, muttering, “ _ Some family I’ve got, _ ” in Water Tribe.

Katara smiles sweetly, already tugging Aang with her as she walks away from the docks. “ _ Don’t pull any muscles! _ ” 

Once out of earshot of Sokka’s muttering, Katara releases Aang’s elbow, and they fall into step as they walk. As they pass the merchant lady with the weird fruit, Katara avoids eye contact, turning to face Aang instead.

“Sorry to drag you away there,” She says to him, ignoring the woman’s grumbling as they pass. “I really didn’t want to move that gear, and I was worried you’d offer to help.” 

“That’s okay!” Aang replies quickly, his cheeks tinged pink. “I mean, I  _ was _ about to volunteer us, so it’s probably a good thing you said something first.” 

Katara smirks. “Well, your selfless acts can go towards something more important than helping Sokka.” She glances up at the stables coming into view. “Come on; let’s go see how Appa’s doing. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Appa was perfectly content to munch on hay with or without their presence it seemed, but Katara still preferred the bison’s company over helping a grouchy old fisherman. They had stalled for as long as they could before Aang pointed out that they should probably see Sokka off, and they’d started on their way back toward the docks. They’d barely been walking for more than a minute before Aang was tugging on Katara’s sleeve, nervously pointing to the sky. 

“It’s getting kind of cloudy, don’t you think?” He asks, and Katara frowns, eyeing the dark clouds warily.  _ Maybe that woman was right after all... _

“Come on,” Katara says, picking up her pace. “We better go see if Sokka will change his mind.” They can find their own fish after the weather has passed. 

Once at the docks, Katara spots Sokka still moving gear back and forth to the boat, though the pile is significantly smaller now. The old man stands and watches him, something that irks Katara just a little bit. 

“Hey Sokka,” Aang chirps as they approach. Sokka looks up from his task, giving them a small wave and a smile. 

“Hey guys,” He replies. “You got here just in time; we’re about to leave.” 

Katara frowns again, glancing up at the sky again. “About that,” She starts. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea that you go out anymore.” 

Sokka furrows his brow at her. “What are you talking about?” He asks. When Katara gestures to the sky, he looks up and shrugs. “It’s just a little overcast; it’s nothing to be scared of.” 

“I don’t know, Sokka,” Aang adds. “It’s getting darker by the second.” Sokka brushes them off again, mumbling something about ‘cloudy skies’ and ‘not quitting this easily’ before disappearing into the boat with some more supplies. The old man saunters over to them at Sokka’s absence, pointing at Aang curiously. 

“Those tattoos,” He starts, gesturing at Aang’s forehead. “Yer an Airbender, ain’t ya?” He strokes his beard thoughtfully. “Did ya know the Avatar?” 

Aang beams at the recognition, and Katara hides her smile. “I sure did!” He says proudly. “In fact, I  _ am  _ the Avatar.”

“Well, don’t be so smiley about it,” The man snaps, his curious expression replaced with something much more bitter. “You turned your back on the world for over a hundred years!” 

Aang visibly falters at the accusation, and Katara turns on the old man with a scowl. 

“Don’t yell at him!” She chastises. “Aang would never turn his back on anybody!”

The fisherman chuckles. “Oh, he wouldn’t, would ‘e?” He returns Katara’s glare, pointing his finger at Aang. “Then I must’ve imagined the last hundred years o’ war an’ suffering then!” Katara glances at Aang to see the boy’s eyes have widened; a horrified expression on his face. 

“That’s not his fault,” She argues, glaring again at the old man. “Aang has done nothing but save lives and protect people since I’ve met him. It’s not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?” 

Katara’s question is met with silence, and she turns back to see Aang has taken three full steps backwards and looks as though he’s about to cry. 

She frowns at him. “Aang?” 

Before anyone can react, Aang opens his glider and leaps up from the dock, flying away from the small market and into the mountains. “Aang!” Katara cries again as his figure disappears into the skies. 

A low chuckle sounds from behind her. “That’s right!” The fisherman shouts. “Keep flyin’!” 

Katara whips around with a scowl. “You’re a horrible, lazy old man!” She shouts and rushes away from the docks without waiting for an answer. 

As she bobs and weaves through crowds of people, the rain begins. It starts as a gentle drizzle, but soon Katara is soaking wet as she makes her way toward the stables again. Appa seems happy to see her first, though, when dragged out into the rain, voices his discomfort through a series of growls and groans.

“I know, Appa,” Katara says, hair dripping as she leads him out of the stable. “But we have to find Aang.” 

At the young Airbender’s mention, Appa knocks his head into Katara gently, and She pats him reassuringly. Momo chirps from the saddle—Katara almost forgot he was there—also clearly excited to look for Aang. 

“Yip yip!” She shouts, and Appa ascends into the air, taking off in the last direction Aang was headed. 

The rain batters them all as they fly, and Katara struggles to keep one hand on the reins while the other waterbends the torrential force out of her face as best she can. Appa and momo both growl and chirp out into the air, though Katara’s unsure if they’re calling for their owner, or if they’re just as upset to be out here as she is. 

A crack of lightning illuminates the air, and Katara catches a glimpse of a small cave in the side of the mountain.  _ He’d be looking for shelter, _ she thinks as she steers Appa towards it. Another bolt of lightning sounds to her left, and Momo shrieks at the sound of the thunder that follows. Katara quickly lands Appa at the mouth of the cave, eager to get them all out of the storm.

“Aang!” She calls out into the cave, squinting to see any sign of the boy within the dark opening. She clambers off of Appa’s head quickly, darting into the safety of the cave, if not to look for Aang further, but to escape the rain. 

Luckily, she’s rewarded with the sight of a huddled up Airbender curled up near the back of the cave, shivering in damp clothes next to his staff. “Aang,” Katara repeats, relief washing over her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” As she approaches, Aang glances up at her, and Katara realises he’s been crying. 

“I’m sorry for running away,” He mutters as he wipes his cheeks with his sleeve. Katara crouches next to him, waterbending as much water as she can from his clothes. 

“It’s okay, Aang,” She reassures, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze once she’s done drying him off. “That fisherman doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

A dark look passes over Aang’s face at the mention of the old man. “Actually, he does,” he says quietly, and Katara furrows her brow.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Aang releases a shaky breath, and Katara frowns, aware of how cold the boy must be. “It’s kind of a long story.”

“It has to do with your nightmares from this morning, doesn’t it?” She asks quietly. When Aang nods, she gives him a reassuring smile. “I’ve got time for a long story.” Appa and Momo appear behind her, the bison’s warm breath heating them both as Momo scurries up to sit on Aang’s shoulder. 

Katara smiles again. “I’ll get a little fire going.” 

Once the fire has been started and all four of them can feel it’s warmth, Katara settles down across from Aang, the fire between them. Momo scurries into Aang’s lap, curling up and purring softly as Aang scratches his ears. 

“Katara,” Aang starts. “You believe in soulmates, right?” 

Katara scowls suddenly at the reminder of soulmates. “Yes,” She replies curtly. “Sokka  _ does  _ have one after all.” She really can’t help the sour tone in her words. 

“Do you… not like them?” Aang asks, and Katara almost scoffs at the understatement. “Soulmates, I mean.” 

Katara gnaws the inside of her cheek. “I used to,” She admits, her gaze falling into her lap.  _ Not anymore, though.  _ “I guess I just don’t feel like they’re as magical as I thought they were.”  _ There’s no magic; it’s a lottery, and Sokka got the short end of the stick. _

“I know how you feel,” Aang says, and Katara looks up to see the Airbender nodding solemnly. 

“You do?”    
  


Aang sighs. “Back home, it was always so exciting when people would get their soulmarks,” He starts. “You knew that these two people were going to love each other more than anyone could understand; they’d help each other grow and live. The spirits guided them together, and true love was built between them.” 

Katara scowls again, reminded of how Sokka and his soulmate were ‘guided’ to meet each other. “Well, maybe the spirits don’t always get it right,” she blurts out. “Maybe they just like to mess with good people’s lives!”

Aang’s eyes widen a little at the outburst. “We don’t have to talk about soulmates if you don’t want to, Katara,” He reassures. “You seem… bothered by it.” 

Katara sighs, shaking her head a little. “No, it’s okay,” She replies. “But...” She almost debates explaining the Sokka situation, instead settling on something a little easier to explain. “Gran-Gran did, and it wasn’t someone she wanted.” 

Aang furrows his brow. “She didn’t want her soulmate?” 

“I don’t know the full story,” Katara admits. “She didn’t like to talk about it. I just— it makes me think that sometimes the spirits are wrong. That sometimes they meddle in a way they don’t understand, and humans suffer because of it.” Aang falls silent a moment, the only sound between them the fire’s crackling and Appa’s low breathing. 

After a beat, Aang speaks again, his voice quiet and timid. “Do you, uh, have a soulmate?” He asks, and Katara blinks, turning over her wrists to look at the bare skin. 

“No,” she replies, returning her gaze to Aang. “I guess I don’t.” 

Aang visibly swallows. “Do you want one?” He asks, and Katara hums thoughtfully. She used to think about soulmates all the time as a child, but after leaving the South with Aang, it hadn’t crossed her mind. 

“I think I did at one point,” She replies. “But I guess I realised pretty early I was never going to leave the South, and if I hadn’t found them at home, I was never going to find them.” 

“Now that you’ve left, do you think you’ll meet them?” Aang asks. 

“I don’t know,” Katara says with a small shrug. “It would be nice, I guess, but…” She doesn’t say that Sokka’s soulmate has left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she’d rather have no soulmate at all at the chance they were Fire Nation. She doesn’t say that, and instead settles on saying, “I guess I’m just more focused on saving the world.” 

Aang offers a small smile before his gaze drops to the fire, his lips quirking downward. “I don’t have a soulmate either,” He admits, and Katara frowns at the sadness in his tone. 

“Well, you could meet them here, after all—” 

“No, Katara,” Aang interrupts, looking up at her with a serious expression. “I don’t  _ have  _ a soulmate.” When Katara furrows her brow, Aang takes a deep breath.

“I remember when the monks first told me,” He begins. “Some of my friends had found their soulmates, and I was asking all sorts of questions when the monks called me over to speak with them. I was so excited; I ended up asking too many questions about soulmarks and soulmates until one of them told me I’d never have one because I was the Avatar.”

Katara gasps. “Aang, that’s- that’s awful.” 

Aang sighs. “I felt… alienated. I never wanted to be the Avatar, but I  _ did  _ want a soulmate.” He scowls at the ground. “I’ve never heard of  _ anyone  _ who couldn’t have a soulmate.” 

“Aang…” Katara whispers. “That must have been so awful.” 

“It’s not even the worst part, Katara!” Aang exclaims suddenly. “After that, no one would hang out with me. Most of my old friends didn’t want to play with me because they said being the Avatar was unfair. Some people even said I was a curse to soulmates.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Katara whispers with a frown. “I had no idea… I thought the Airbenders were peaceful and kind?” 

“They were,” Aang mutters. “But nobody’s perfect.” 

Katara sighs. “Aang, I’m so sorry.”

Aang continues his story. “After that, my only real friend ended up being Monk Gyatso,” He says. “But then the other monks took him away too.” 

“How could they do that?” Katara questions angrily, and Aang scowls at the fire again. 

“They said he was affecting my progress as the Avatar in training,” He says. “They were going to send me away to the Eastern Air Temple so I could continue my Avatar journey alone.”

“Aang, I’m—” 

“How could they do that to me?!” Aang shouts, standing up suddenly. Momo shrieks and scurries over to Katara, and they both watch Aang begin to pace around the cave. “They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!” 

Aang’s tattoos begin to glow, the fire seeming to rise with his temper. Some embers fly out toward Katara, and she shields herself from the heat. “Hot cinders!” She exclaims.

Aang’s tattoos dim slightly, and he slumps his shoulders before sitting back down beside her. “I’m sorry,” He says quietly. “I didn’t mean to get so angry.” 

Katara reaches out to pat his arm. “You have every right to be,” She says. “I can’t believe they would send you away like that.” 

“Well,” Aang says sheepishly. “They were  _ going  _ to send me away. That night I ran away. I packed all of my things and took Appa and left. We flew right into a terrible storm, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in your arms one hundred years later, with you and Sokka speaking the strangest language to me.” 

Katara giggles. “Well to be fair, yours was stranger.” 

Aang smiles a little, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and as he returns his gaze to the fire, it falls. “I was supposed to protect them,” He says quietly. “And I turned my back on them.” 

“Aang—” 

“No, the fisherman was right,” Aang interrupts angrily. “I  _ did  _ turn my back on the world; everyone is suffering because of my selfish choices.” 

Katara puts a hand on Aangs shoulder, staring intently at him. “No, Aang,” She says. “I think you made the right choice.” 

“No, I—”

“ _ Aang, _ ” Katara interrupts. “I think if you had stayed, you would have been killed with the other Airbenders.” She bites her lip. “If you had stayed, I wouldn’t have met you.” 

Aang blinks at her before turning his face away sharply, coughing into his shoulder.  _ Poor kid must’ve caught a cold _ . Katara stokes the fire a little, trying to get more heat to the cave.

Aang clears his throat, turning back to look at Katara. “You know, Gyatso did tell me something about soulmates that I liked.” He looks down at the fire, cheeks dark. 

Katara smiles. “What is it?” 

“He told me that sometimes the spirits can’t help but interfere with destiny.” He looks back up at Katara, eyes wide. “Sometimes, they guide souls so that they meet the right person anyways.”

Katara smiles again. “I like that theory,” She says.  _ Maybe Sokka will find the right person.  _ She puts her hand on Aang’s arm. “Who knows, maybe you were meant to find your soulmate here.” 

Aang’s eyes widen even more. “You mean—” 

“Well,” Katara interrupts with a chuckle. “Maybe not  _ right  _ here. This trading post isn’t exactly full of good choices.” 

Aang deflates slightly, offering a weak laugh as he turns away again. “Oh. Right.” 

Katara squeezes his arm gently, drawing his attention back to her. “The world needs you now more than ever, Aang.” She smiles at him. “I think this was meant to be.” 

A thunderous boom snaps their attention to the cave’s entrance, and Katara jumps at the sound. Just as she looks up at the mouth of a cave, a silhouette appears, entering the cave warily.

“Hello?!” Calls a voice, and Katara recognises the old woman from the docks. “Avatar, is that you?!” 

Aang and Katara share a look. “Hello?” Aang asks, and the old woman finally walks into view of the fire. 

“Avatar, you have to help me,” She says desperately. “My husband and your brother have been gone at sea for too long, and this storm is becoming a typhoon!” 

Katara gasps again. “I can’t believe they still went out in the storm!” She’d forgotten all about Sokka and his stupid fishing job.

“Well, my husbands a stubborn bastard,” The woman grumbles. “And apparently your brother is too!” 

Katara doesn’t deny the implication, standing up quickly as she rushes over to Appa. “Aang, let’s go! We have to hurry!” 

Aang nods, turning back to the woman. “You stay here; it’s not safe in this weather.” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” The woman crows, already plopping herself down beside the fire. She looks up at Katara. “Give your brother and my husband a good smacking from me!” 

Katara nods, climbing up into the saddle with Momo on her shoulder. Aang leaps onto Appa’s head, grabbing the reins tightly.

“Appa, yip yip!” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Can you see them anywhere!?” 

“No!” 

Katara squints, again using one hand to waterbend while the other keeps her locked into Appa’s saddle. The bison groans loudly, and Katara hears Aang trying to reassure the bison. A bolt of lightning hits the water to their left, and Katara shuts her eyes at the sudden brightness. 

“Katara!” Aang cries from the front of the bison. “Hold on!” 

Katara opens her eyes just in time to see a massive wave crash toward them, and she grips the saddle as tightly as she can in preparation for impact. It never comes, though, and when she looks up again, Katara sees Aang waterbending the wave, so they pass through it easily. 

Katara squints out into the ocean again, scanning the choppy waters until her eyes land on something small getting battered around in the waves. “There!” She shouts, and Aang turns to see where she’s pointing. “I think that’s them!” 

Aang steers Appa to the left, headed straight toward the small brown dot bobbing around in the water. Once close enough, the ship’s details come into view, and Katara sees Sokka and the old man waving at them. 

Once close enough, Aang calls Katara to the reins, which she quickly grabs hold of as the Airbender leaps down to the ship. After saving Sokka and the old man from being hit by the ship’s mast, Aang secures them both with a rope, pulling them up to Appa quickly. The two of them land in the saddle with a heavy  _ thump _ , and Katara breathes a sigh of relief that they made it out okay. 

Her relief is short-lived though, because as soon as Appa begins to fly, Katara looks behind to see a wave even bigger than the first rising behind them. Aang gasps, crying out to Appa to fly faster, but it’s not enough. The wave swallows them with an unrelenting force of power, and the last thing Katara sees is a final bolt of lightning flashing the distance. 

  
  
  


The cold seeps in immediately, and Katara struggles to keep her hand on what she hopes is Appa’s saddle. 

_ My fingers.  _

The muscles feel weak; her lungs are already screaming at her to release.

_ Please, Aang.  _

_ Please…  _

Katara sees lightning again, this time through her closed eyelids. 

_ But… we’re underwater…? _

Without warning, Katara lands heavily on the saddle, the sudden pressure of the water gone. She gasps and coughs as her lungs finally give out, the relief of oxygen overwhelming her.

_ We’re okay...? _

Katara opens her eyes to see the old man and Sokka collapsed in the saddle as well, coughing and panting heavily. Aang sits at Appa’s head, tattoos glowing brightly—as bright as a bolt of lightning—as he airbends them out of the ocean.

A weak smile breaks out on her features as she realises Aang saved them by going into the Avatar state, protecting them with a pocket of air. When they break out of the water finally, she sees they’ve popped out in the eye of the storm, almost completely safe from any and all harm. 

_ Thank you, Aang.  _

  
  


* * *

  
  


“I guess if you hadn’t been here, well, I wouldn’t be here either. So, thank you Avatar.” The old man claps a hand on Aang’s shoulder, who gives a small smile in return before walking over to Katara. 

“Hey,” He says, and Katara smiles at him. 

“Hey yourself.” 

Aang giggles. “Thank you for what you said,” He says. “I think you were right about this being meant to be.” 

“I hope you’re not just saying that because of what the fisherman said,” Katara replies with a smirk, and Aang giggles again. “Seriously though, you’re welcome.” She gives him a genuine smile. “And thank you for what you said. I think even if I never find my soulmate, I’m happy that I got to travel the world with you.” 

Aang’s cheeks darken, and he opens his mouth to say something. However, before he can Appa suddenly shakes from beside them, fat droplets of water flinging everywhere. Katara hides her face, giggling a little as Sokka—who was petting the bison—gets a face-full.

“Eugh, Appa!” 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:
> 
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online, the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


	14. The Blue Spirit: Zuko Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko wakes to an unexpected saviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, PLS READ: 
> 
> This chapter is 500 words... I'm so freaking sorry........... In my defense, the whole episode is just action-packed goodness showing how Zuko and Aang are a good team until the final bit where we get some insight into the characters thoughts. I hate writing action, it is so very hard to write, and I just have not had a lot of time recently to write, so I figured what would be easiest is to just... write the end scene... 
> 
> and the end scene is so short. But I won't make excuses; I'll just make promises never to pull this shit again lmfao. My hours at work just got cut because of covid, so I'll have more opportunities to write (and more opportunities to sit and think about what I'm going to write). And please ENJOY this chapter, and get excited for the NEXT CHAPTER, which will be... Bato of the Water Tribe... that's a phat zukka chapter if u ask me......

* * *

  
  


_"Aang, how was your trip? Did you make any new friends?"_

_"No, I don't think I did..."_

* * *

**ZUKO**

There's a ringing in his ears. It’s loud, and it hurts, or is that his head? Regardless, it’s bothersome enough to drag him out of the unexpected sleep he’d fallen into. When he had gone to bed, though, eludes him. 

A sound to his right disturbs Zuko, and he opens his eyes abruptly before immediately closing them, a blinding light burning against his eyelids.  Was his room on fire? Had he fallen asleep so unexpectedly that he'd forgotten to put out his candles? After rubbing at his eyes a little, Zuko opens them again, slower this time, and takes in his surroundings.

The forest canopy above his head is startling, though it’s not as startling as the sight of the Avatar perched on a tree root beside him. Zuko's eyes widen slightly, his thoughts spiralling as he tries to piece together how he got here and why the Avatar is sitting so calmly beside him. The ringing in his ears has diminished enough for Zuko to realise that his head hurts, right at the temple, and the memories from the night before come flooding back.

_ That’s right.  _ Zuko had been knocked out by… something, after rescuing the Avatar from Zhao’s stronghold. Zuko should be imprisoned with the Avatar, though, not lying somewhere in the forest.  _ Why would he save me?  _ Zuko was masked while they escaped the stronghold together, but now his Blue Spirit disguise lay beside him, meaning the Airbender removed it at some point. Did it fall off when he was unconscious? Why did the Avatar stay with him after figuring out his identity? Did he see Zuko's soulmark, and now he wanted to chew him out as the Water Tribe girl had done?

Finally, the Avatar shifts, pulling Zuko from his thoughts. When the boy speaks, Zuko's eyes widen at the use of very old, very traditional Fire Nation.

“You know what the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago is? I miss all the friends I used to hang out with.” His voice is quiet and small, just barely audible over the drumming of Zuko’s heartbeat. “Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend Kuzon. The two of us, we’d get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of my best friends, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you.” The Avatar finally flicks his eyes toward Zuko, his gaze vulnerable and sad. “If we knew each other back then, do you think we could’ve been friends, too?” 

Zuko blinks, the absurdity of the question catching him off guard.  _ Do you think we could’ve been friends, too?  _ Friends? With the Avatar? Zuko may have had a lot stacked against him, but a single support beam held up his leaning tower of problems; those problems could be hidden away, kept secret. Friends with the Avatar, though? The enemy? That could topple everything in a single swift strike. _But a hundred years ago..._

His father’s voice snarls dangerously in his head, reminding him of his purpose, his mission to restore his honour. He’s not here to make or dream about old friends; he’s here to capture the Avatar. With a scowl, Zuko propels his fist forward with a hot blast of fire, aimed straight for the Airbender’s tiny body.

The Avatar wordlessly dodges it, darting up and away into the trees before disappearing completely. Zuko relaxes once he flies out of view, letting himself breath again.  _ Friends don't do that,  _ Zuko thinks as he stiffly changes out of his Blue Spirit clothes. _I saved him from the stronghold, and he protected me from Zhao._ Zuko glances back once more at where the Avatar darted away, something in his chest tugging strangely. He dismisses the feeling, turning away and stiffly walking back toward his ship, his Blue Spirit attire tucked carefully away under his arm. 

_ We’re even.  _

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer:  
> I don't own anything in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Most of my language information has come from various posts online; the main source of my research from 'Languages in AtLA' by ao3 user the_rosyfingered_moon. Please call me out on any misuse of languages and spelling so that I may fix these mistakes. I won't be including any harmful racial terms or slurs because those aren't fun to read. The implication of racism will be present in this, but it will be as present as it is in the actual show, shown in a more educational way than anything. I hope you all can enjoy this as a fun take on the AtLA universe <3


End file.
